


Tori Vega is a Virgin Who Can't Drive

by gayerfurtherfaster (gayerfurtherfaster420), PrettyLittlePoutyMouth



Series: touch me and gimme that rush [1]
Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Did you know Jade West has a little brother, F/F, Falling In Love, Make-outus Interruptus, Making Out, Masturbation but like barely, One accidental weed cookie, Three couples on Sinjin's gameshow, Tori Vega gets no privacy, Two hard lemonades, fake date, torvel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 84,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23833666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayerfurtherfaster420/pseuds/gayerfurtherfaster, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyLittlePoutyMouth/pseuds/PrettyLittlePoutyMouth
Summary: It starts with an accidental edible and goes from there.When Jade allows Tori to kiss her, you know, as a favor, things become a little bit complicated. Especially when they have to play husband and wife on stage. Or when Tori needs a ride to school because she can’t stand forty minutes in the car with Trina. And that time Tori’s chosen to perform in the Platinum Music Awards and turns into a total grunch (that’s Jade’s opinion, anyway).
Relationships: Tori Vega/Jade West
Series: touch me and gimme that rush [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717927
Comments: 147
Kudos: 612





	1. We're the ones who flirt with disaster

**Author's Note:**

> Things about this story:
> 
> \- It’s canon-compliant through season three, partially compliant through season four.
> 
> \---However, certain episodes have been deemed dreams or nightmares because they’re way too weird to try and make any practical sense out of them. If you’ve watched this show, you probably have a good idea of what those might be.  
> \---We may have a looser concept of “canon-compliant” than others and have done some heavy lifting to make things work within our intended context.
> 
> -It follows the original airdate order, not the Netflix order because the Netflix order makes no damn sense and we have no idea what’s going on there.
> 
> \- Each chapter will list the corresponding episodes in the end notes if you want to go watch them after reading. It’s pretty fun with the context of the story underneath them. And, as of this writing in April of 2020, you’re probably looking for ways to pass the time, anyway.
> 
> -We’re trying to be as honest and real about being young and ridiculous and falling in love with your frenemy while still maintaining the quirkiness of the show.
> 
> \- We’ve included memes and emojis in their text conversations, all of which should show up just fine as per our testing. But, be warned, one of these people is Jade West and sometimes she sends Tori weird chiz. (Basically, CW: Clowns at one point)
> 
> \- Chapters will post up every couple of days, depending on how much formatting there is to do for each one.
> 
> \- This story has two multi-chapter parts, part one (rated T) is in the process of being posted this week. Part two (rated M) shouldn't be too far behind. 
> 
> \- This has been such a delight to write and we hope you enjoy it!
> 
> BONUS CONTENT: For an interactive map of locations in this series, check out https://tinyurl.com/gimmethatrushmap

It was the second Saturday in a row where Tori didn’t get to sleep in. Instead, she had to get up early, shower, and be ready just like a regular school day. All because Jade and Vice Principal Dickers got into some kind of face-off (which, as much as she wanted to blame Jade for it, Dickers was the one who was out of control, in her opinion).

Coffee was easy enough to come by in the Vega house, because her dad always started a pot when he got up. Breakfast, on the other hand, was never something either parent regularly prepared for their daughters, at least not once she and Trina had both started high school.

Because it was so early on a Saturday, Tori was getting a ride in with her father, since her mom and sister were both still sound asleep.

 _Lucky,_ Tori thought, as she filled a bright purple travel mug with steaming coffee.

“You about ready?” asked her dad as he moved for the stairwell off the kitchen that led down to the garage.

“Yeah,” said Tori. She’d been able to grab a banana, which would at least get her started for the day. On the kitchen island was a plastic tub of oatmeal cookies, which probably wouldn’t last longer than a day in their house, so Tori quickly wrapped one in a napkin and stuffed the snack into her jacket pocket then followed her father to the car.

-

Jade was already downing her third cup of coffee by the time she crossed the threshold into the Hollywood Arts entryway. This was stupid, another Saturday wasted. Maybe she could at least get some writing done. That is, if Tori could keep her big mouth shut. Actually, Tori probably could, if there wasn’t anyone else there to egg her on. Robbie was the one who generally talked too much, doubly so when he had the damn puppet with him.

When she entered the library and saw Sinjin sitting at one of the tables, she sighed heavily. Maybe today would actually be the worst.

“Hello, Jade,” he said.

“Don’t,” she replied. That was enough to quiet him, though he kept staring at her as she chose the furthest seat away from him as possible. “Stop looking at me!”

He startled and turned back to face forward.

Jade heard the sound of someone’s shoes skittering in the hall outside and, after a moment, there was Tori, rushing into the library and grabbing a seat at the table next to Jade’s. The second her butt hit the chair, Vice Principal Dickers sauntered in.

Jade groaned, anticipating another big speech like he’d given the week before, but he seemed less motivated to inspire through fear as he had the previous Saturday.

“Phones in the box.” He pointed to the cardboard box on an empty table. “Do not leave this library.”

Sinjin raised his hand, “What if we have to go to the bathroom?”

Tori cringed, “Shhh.”

“Yeah, shut up,” muttered Jade.

Dickers eyed the two girls in the back row and Jade suddenly wondered if he was about to give them ten more detentions. Instead, he waved a sheet of paper that he then let flutter onto the empty table in front of him. “Bathroom breaks and lunch are listed here. If you fail to follow the schedule, you’re in trouble.”

Jade glanced over at Tori, eyebrow raised. Tori shrugged. This wasn’t quite the same hardass they’d experienced before.

“Luther will be checking in on you,” Dickers continued, “as I have an appointment. I can’t be expected to put my life on hold for you delinquents. Any questions?”

Tori’s hand hovered as if it might begin to climb, but Sinjin’s shot up quickly. “Are we allowed to work on homework? I have a scale model I’m expected to finish by Monday.”

“I don’t care, just stay in here and don’t cause a ruckus.”

Sinjin nodded. “Could you describe what you mean by ru--”

“Stop talking,” shot Jade.

The room was quiet and that was enough for Dickers to leave them alone.

Tori stood up to walk her phone over to the box.

“What are you doing?” Jade asked.

“He said to--”

“Who cares? No one’s watching us. Even Dickers is bored of this already.”

“Yeah,” Tori realized. “Last week he wanted me to pop his arm zit and this week he’s going to an appointment?”

“Ew, he what?” Jade was repulsed but intrigued.

“It was… a weird experience.”

“I would have done it,” said Sinjin.

Jade banged a fist on her table. “No one asked you. Build your thing.”

Sinjin turned back around quickly, digging into his backpack. Jade watched him for a moment, making sure he wasn’t about to turn back around to stare at them or talk to them or think about them. After a few moments, she was reasonably satisfied, and pulled a notebook from her own bag, intending to work on writing.

Perhaps in part because it was still early, the library was mercifully quiet at first. Even the noise level from Sinjin’s project was reasonable, the light scratching and scraping of materials just the right level of frequency for Jade to be able to mostly ignore it. Tori was also working on something, which included occasional humming, probably songwriting. Jade made an effort to tolerate that until the humming increased, pulling Jade’s focus from her work. She glared at an oblivious Tori for a few moments, tapping her pen against her notebook in irritation, until she couldn’t stand it anymore.

“ _NO!_ ” Jade shouted.

Sinjin startled so hard that he knocked whatever he was working on off the table, and groaned in despair. Tori, however, looked back at Jade, unperturbed.

“Sorry,” Tori said, not sounding it in the least, “I’m working on a song.”

“Yeah, that part was easy to figure out with all the sounds coming from your mouth. It doesn’t make it any less annoying.”

Tori sneered back at her, but Jade’s attention was focused on Sinjin, who was scrambling to pick up all the pieces he’d knocked onto the floor. She smiled in satisfaction.

Jade tried to go back to her writing, but the silence had been shattered, and her mood had shifted. Tori frowned at her PearPhone, and Jade watched her for a moment, hoping that she was getting some bad news that might entertain Jade for a little while.

Tori noticed her staring, and explained, “I sent what I had of my song for Andre to look at, but he’s not responding.” She groaned, and slumped forward. “He’s probably still asleep.”

Jade glanced at the clock. The morning was dragging, and certainly, if it were a normal Saturday, she’d still be asleep right now. Tori hadn’t gotten the tragic news Jade had been hoping for, but she decided to engage with her a little, anyway, since there wasn’t much else to do. “Yeah, it’s not even lunch time yet. I think you’ll be waiting awhile.”

Tori groaned again, “When is lunch time?”

Sinjin got up and dashed over to where the schedule had been left. “Not until noon,” he reported.

“I don’t know if I can wait that long,” Tori sighed, then made a face. “I hope it’s not room-temperature tuna again.”

Sinjin stared, wide-eyed, “You got room-temperature tuna last time?” he asked with evident envy.

“No one’s talking to you!” Jade snapped, and he hurried back to sit down in his seat.

There was a soft crinkling sound coming from Tori’s table and Jade whipped her head back in her direction, ready to lash out again, but then she realized Tori was eating something. Jade raised her eyebrows expectantly.

“Erm,” Tori chewed, then swallowed. “It’s a cookie.”

Jade looked at the cookie, then back at Tori’s face. “And?”

“And…” Tori squinted, searching Jade’s expression. “Did you… want… some?”

“Yes.” Jade’s hand shot out, palm up, waiting.

Tori, to her credit, broke off a full half of the baked good and held it out to Jade. She was such a good person, sometimes. Usually. Practically all the time. It was sickening.

Jade took a bite and tried to pick up where she’d left on her writing. She really wanted to break a story she could use to make another short film. That didn’t seem to be happening because, right now, she felt compelled to continue roasting Tori.

“This tastes weird.”

Tori shrugged. “My mom made it.” But as Tori finished her own half, she considered Jade’s opinion. “I think. It does taste kind of off. Oh chiz, I hope Trina didn’t make it.”

Whatever the problem was, it wasn’t bad enough for Jade to throw her piece away. She shoved the rest in her mouth, then washed it down with what was left of her coffee.

-

Tori found herself watching the clock, waiting for noon, which meant both lunchtime, and a greater likelihood that Andre would be awake. And really, though Andre’s feedback was important to her, lunch was her greater priority. The cookie she’d split with Jade had done little to stave off her hunger. If anything, it seemed to make her hungrier.

Time absolutely dragged until it was a few minutes before noon, which was when they spotted Luther for the first time as the janitor strolled past the doors to the library. Tori perked up when she saw him. “Maybe he’s here to bring us our lunch.” She stood and waved to him.

Luther stopped, staring at them through the door, and then walked in. “What are you kids doing in here?”

“Uh,” Tori replied, “We’re in detention. You were supposed to check in on us?”

Luther shrugged, “Not right now I’m not. I’m on break.”

“But...it’s our lunch time. What are we supposed to eat?” Tori asked him.

“You should’ve brought something,” Luther admonished, “I’m on break. I’m going to Inside-Out Burger.”

“Wait!” Tori called to his retreating back, “Can you bring us something?” She sagged as she realized he wasn’t listening. “Great. I’m _starving_ ,” she whined.

“Well, why don’t we do what we did last time?” Jade asked, glancing at Sinjin.

“I don’t know if that will work,” Tori sighed. At Jade’s expectant look, she explained, “Trina only brought us tacos last time because Beck was here, and she wanted to impress him.”

Jade’s face had been contorting weirdly as Tori spoke, and she realized why when she heard Sinjin turn in his seat. “Tacos?” he asked.

“No!” Jade shouted at him. He spun back around. Jade turned back to Tori as if nothing had happened. “Come on. You can’t think of any way you could convince Trina?”

Tori thought about it. “Maybe she’d do it if I offered to buy her some, too.”

“I was going to suggest telling her I wouldn’t replace her windshield wiper fluid with pig’s blood, but okay, if you think that will work.”

“How would you even…? Where would you get that much…? You know what,” Tori shook her head. “I don’t want to know.” She picked up her PearPhone to text Trina. She ended up telling Trina that Beck was in detention with them in order to seal the deal, but as a result, Trina promised tacos in twenty minutes. “Thank chiz,” Tori sighed, “Tacos are coming.”

“Not bad, for you,” Jade replied snidely, still looking at the notepad she was writing on.

Tori realized that Sinjin was staring at her. “Um, can I help you?”

He turned all the way around so he was kneeling on his chair and leaned toward her. “I’m willing to keep this all between us… for a price.”

“Um,” Tori hadn’t really brought much cash with her. “How much?”

“Two tacos.”

Tori sagged in relief. That was easy enough. “Fine.”

But then he opened his mouth again, “And--”

“No!” shouted Jade. Her voice was much louder because she was now sitting next to Tori at the same table.

Whatever weird addition he’d been about to demand was quickly forgotten as Sinjin spun back around and resumed working on his model.

“Why are you sitting here?” asked Tori.

Jade’s answer was a flat, “I’m bored.”

“That’s the point, this is detention. It’s not supposed to be exciting.”

“Ugh,” Jade groaned, “now I’m even _more_ bored.”

She knew she had no obligation to entertain Jade, but they were the only allies each other had while they were here. “You want to see something cool?”

“Yes, but I doubt whatever you think is cool is something I’ll think is cool.”

“Just follow me.” Tori quietly slipped out of her seat and moved toward the back of the library. Jade remained stationary for a moment, then rolled her eyes and began to follow.

As they walked up the ramp toward the library stacks and into the reading lounge area, Jade mused, “Wow, yeah, more library. Fun. Like we didn’t see this for six hours last weekend.”

Tori ignored the complaints and stopped right over a cut square of carpet. “Check this out.” She lifted the square, which opened to the passageway that led to the janitor’s closet below.

Jade’s arms dropped from their crossed position. “Wait, what?”

“It’s a secret passage.”

“This is real? I’ve seen that sign in the closet, but I thought it was a leftover prop.”

“Nope.” Tori stepped down onto the ladder and began to descend. “You coming? We have to meet Trina for the tacos soon, anyway.”

“Whatever, hurry up.” Jade moved down after and, within moments, they were both standing in the janitor’s closet.

Tori peered through the small window on the door. “Looks clear.”

Jade snorted, “Luther is ‘on break,’ remember? No one else is here, Vega.”

“It doesn’t hurt to be cautious,” Tori replied.

“Yeah, sure,” Jade said, “I thought that gorilla beat all the caution out of you the other night.”

“Maybe,” Tori said, wincing at the memory. “But, after the risk I took for my audition, maybe I like caution a little more again.” She’d been hurt when the gorilla tackled her, but playing up her injury by wearing casts on her arms to emphasize her ability to deliver her lines regardless of physicality had only led to her losing the role. In her pocket, her PearPhone buzzed, “Okay, Trina’s here. Let’s go.” Tori pulled on the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “Hey.” She yanked again. Still stuck.

“What’s the problem? You can’t work a door?” Jade shouldered past her and pulled, but it didn’t open.

“Are we locked in here?” Tori began to panic. She was _so_ hungry. “Maybe we should both pull tog--”

The door swung open, knocking them both backward.

“What are you guys doing, messing around in here?” Trina chastised. “I have a tight schedule to keep.”

“Trina! Thank you so much,” Tori said as Trina handed her the bag.

“Yeah, whatever. Where’s Beck?” Trina asked. She looked past them, as if he might be tucked away in the closet somewhere.

“You want to ask that again?” Jade asked dangerously, folding her arms and glowering at Trina.

Trina just rolled her eyes, “What _ever_. It’s not like looking is a crime.”

“He’s in the library keeping watch for Dickers,” Tori said quickly, before Jade could retort, and changed the subject quickly. “Seriously, thank you Trina, we’re _so_ hungry. We even ate one of those cookies that Mom made, but it didn’t help at all.”

“Wait. _You_ took the cookie?” Trina’s eyes were wide, “Mom wouldn’t stop accusing me of taking one!”

“Oh, well, sorry about that,” Tori said, “I was--”

“Tor-i!” Trina drew out her name in that way that Tori knew meant she’d messed up badly, “Those were _special_ cookies!”

Tori felt her stomach sink, and as she blinked, she slowly realized that everything around her looked sharper, more colorful. “Oh, no.”

“What’s she talking about?” Jade demanded of Tori, turning away from Trina entirely.

“Uh, well,” Tori grinned, “Our mom is in the business of...um. Cannabis products?”

“Okay, so let me get this right,” Jade’s expression softened to amusement. “You brought weed to school and got us high during detention?”

“I didn’t mean to!”

“I’m telling Mom,” Trina sing-songed.

“I didn’t know!”

“You’re really proving to be more interesting than usual today, Vega.” Jade had busied herself with buying two cans of Wahoo punch from the vending machine, probably to avoid talking to Trina.

“I--”

“Yeah, yeah. Didn’t know, didn’t mean to. I’m hungry. We’ll tell Beck you said hello.” Jade grabbed Tori by the wrist and pulled her back into the janitor’s closet.

-

“Here.” Jade dropped two tacos on the table in front of Sinjin. “Don’t bother us, don’t look at us, don’t talk to us.”

Sinjin nodded. “Do you--”

“ _That’s_ talking to us!” It was Tori who spat the words at him, apparently picking up Jade’s energy. Maybe she was on a power trip from the cookie and all the sneaking around. Jade wasn’t ever sure what made Tori tick.

“--have any hot sauce?”

“Oh,” Tori dug around in the bag and handed him a packet.

“No more questions,” and then Jade was back to dragging Tori behind her, this time toward the lounge area in the stacks. It was more comfortable back there and they wouldn’t have to listen to Sinjin crunching away.

Now that Jade realized she’d been accidentally dosed with a cannabis cookie, she was really noticing how the world around her was beginning to move differently. That shit was probably just starting to settle in.

“We should have brought water,” she realized.

“For what?”

“Have you ever been high before?”

“No! Why, have you?”

“Not a lot, but I’ve dabbled.” Jade placed the two cans of punch on the small table. “Really, your mom doesn’t have you test her batches?”

“My dad is a cop!” Tori dropped onto the couch.

“And your sister is Trina. Your family doesn’t exactly make a lot of sense.” Jade could tell she was only about to climb higher and she decided they really needed to make sure they were hydrated when the worst of it hit. “I have a water bottle in my bag.” She looked back the way they came. It seemed like it was really far away. Jade sucked in a deep breath. “SINJIN!”

“Yes, my darling?” came the hopeful reply from down the ramp.

“Bring my bag to the edge of the stacks and leave it there. Do _not_ look in it. And don’t you dare come back here.”

“Can I smell it?”

Tori frowned. “Ew!”

Jade crossed her arms. “Just. _Bring._ It.” There was the thumping of Sinjin’s feet clamoring on the ramp, then quiet. Slowly, Sinjin peeked around the corner. “I said leave it!” The bag hit the floor and Sinjin scurried away. Jade collected her bag and placed the bottle of Crystal Waters water next to the cans of punch.

“Seriously, are you planning to be really thirsty later?” asked Tori just before she bit into a taco.

Jade sat next to her, the bag of tacos between them. “You are too, you just don’t know it.” She was tired of Tori’s incessant questions and she was starving, so she grabbed a taco a tore into the wrapper. After taking a bite, she groaned. “This is really good.”

“I know!” Tori moaned around her mouthful, then she covered her mouth as she swallowed her bite, looking sheepish. “Sorry. I just don’t remember them being so good last week.” She chased it with a few audible gulps of Wahoo punch, then lifted the bag, staring at it, as if expecting to discover that they were different tacos.

Jade wasn’t interested in explaining to Tori why the tacos were better, not when she could be eating said tacos, so she snatched the bag from Tori to grab another. She did, however, find herself gushing “This is the best hot sauce,” as she drizzled the packet onto her taco.

“It really is,” Tori agreed, “I don’t think I used very much last week, and I was missing out. I usually like the medium one, but Trina only got--”

“Tori,” Jade snapped, then leveled out her tone, “Stop talking. We’re eating.”

“Right,” Tori mumbled just before taking another bite. “We’re eating the best tacos on the planet.”

Jade let that one slide, because in this moment, Tori was absolutely right.

They quickly worked their way through the remaining tacos in the bag, until Tori reached in and frowned. Jade could hear her hand digging around among the napkins and hot sauce packets, the paper bag rustling madly, before Tori looked in the bag. “Aw, man!” she griped, “I told Trina she could take four tacos. She must’ve taken six.”

“That, or we lost track of how many we ate,” Jade said, staring at the cluster of empty wrappers in front of her. It seemed possible.

“Maybe,” Tori grumbled, slouching back against the couch and folding her arms. “I think I’m still hungry.” She picked up her can of Wahoo punch and tilted it over her mouth, seeming surprised to realize that it was empty. She set it down with a sigh. “And thirsty.”

Jade pushed the water bottle toward her. “Here. But you’d better not drink it all.” She wasn’t looking at Tori, because she was distracted by a lens flare that was coming off of the wall clock, when she tilted her head and the light hit it _just so_ …

-

Tori watched as Jade stared at something on the wall, closing one eye, then switching to the other eye. “What are you doing?” She glanced over her shoulder. “Is there a ghost? Are you winking at a ghost?”

“I _wish_ there was a ghost,” replied Jade. There was a beat of silence, then she began laughing, which made Tori start to giggle. “Seriously, can you imagine how cool that would be?”

Tori didn’t want to think about anything haunting them, “No, really, what are you looking at?”

Jade rolled her eyes, but it wasn’t as effective as usual with the smile that was still on her face. “The clock. It’s just... really shiny.”

“It looks regular shiny to me.” Tori tried doing what she watched Jade do with her own eyes, closing one, then the other. “We should have asked for more tacos.”

“Tell Trina to bring more.”

“She won’t do it.”

“Yeah, that’s probably true. She’s a grunch.”

“Hey, that’s my sister.”

“And?”

“And…” Tori didn’t really have anything to counter with. Trina had been plenty terrible to her friends. Even if Jade refused to classify herself as one. “I wish I had a mint.” She leaned back against the arm of the sofa, eyes focused on the ceiling tiles. “Do you think there are other secret passages around h--” Something hit her in the chest. “Ow!” Whatever it was, it rattled. She glanced down to see a tin of mints. “Oh. Thanks.” With a little pressure, the lid of the tin flipped open and she popped one of the mints into her mouth.

“I don’t like when people smell bad. Or like weird food.”

“Do I smell like weird food? You had the same food!” As she rolled the candy around in her mouth, she realized it wasn’t minty. “This is… spicy.”

Jade took back her tin. “I just mean in general. And they’re cinnamon.”

“Kinda burns.”

“I _like_ that it burns.” Jade popped a mint of her own and immediately crunched on it.

“I like when it… stops burning.”

“You would,” Jade retorted, but she was still smiling.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tori bumped Jade with her shoulder, giggling.

“Nothing,” Jade said, laughing too. Tori was beginning to wonder what they were even laughing at, but it didn’t matter. She felt warm, comfortable, and cozy on the little sofa, and if only they’d had more tacos, she thought it’d be perfect. She drank some of Jade’s water, and passed it to her waiting hand, though she wanted it back almost immediately, because her throat still felt dry.

“Ugh, we’re going to need more water,” Tori realized.

“Probably,” Jade said, though neither of them made any move to go get any. “Would you rather die of dehydration or drown?” Jade asked abruptly.

It was so out of left field that Tori giggled about it for a long time before saying anything. “I don’t know why I’m laughing. That’s a horrifying question.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Jade sounded pleased and was examining her nails, very closely. “Now answer it.”

“Um,” Tori really didn’t want to dwell on it, so she tried to think fast. “Drowning. At least it’d be over quicker.”

“Fair enough,” Jade said. “Now you go.”

“Oh, uh…” Tori thought about it, eyes scanning the room for inspiration. She looked at the clock. Was time going backwards? It seemed much earlier than she thought it should have been. She tilted her head thoughtfully, then the clock seemed to catch a sunbeam from somewhere and she grinned. “I think I see the ghost in the clock,” she told Jade.

“I told you!” Jade gave her shoulder an enthusiastic whack, and Tori pushed her back playfully.

“Okay, so,” Tori asked, inspired, “Would you rather see a ghost or...hear a ghost?”

“That’s a stupid question,” Jade said, though it lacked any real bite.

“You still have to answer it,” Tori was unfazed.

“Ugh, fine.” Jade’s brow furrowed, then she held up a finger and pointed it at Tori slowly, “Can the ghost hear me?” she asked, very pensively.

“I don’t know!” Tori laughed, “Um, sure, it can hear you.”

“Okay, then my answer is hear,” Jade said decisively.

“Really? Why?”

“Did I make you explain why you picked drowning?”

“No, but I explained anyway.”

“True,” Jade acknowledged, “I picked hear because if it can hear me, I can talk to it, and I want it to tell me what dying is like.”

“O...kay…” Tori replied, “I guess that makes sense.”

“My turn,” Jade shifted on the couch so she was facing Tori a little more. Tori could see her eyes were a bit glazed, her cheeks lightly flushed. Something about actually looking at each other made Tori want to laugh again, but she stifled it. “Would you rather…” Jade began, “jump out of a moving vehicle, or be buried alive?”

“ _What_?” Tori asked, “What kind of question is that?”

“One you have to answer if we’re going to keep playing this,” Jade responded, sounding highly amused.

“I mean, jump out of a moving car, of course,” Tori decided.

Jade’s eyebrow hiked up. “Interesting.”

“What do you mean? I don’t think it’s even a question. At least you can survive jumping out of the car.”

“What if you weren’t like, fully buried?” Jade asked, “What if you were just a little bit buried alive?”

“Um, I’d still choose the car,” Tori said firmly.

“How fast would the car have to be going to change your mind?” Jade asked.

“I...don’t know!” Tori shook her head. “Jump from the car, final answer!”

“Interesting,” Jade said again.

“Why is that interesting?” Tori asked.

“No reason,” Jade said lightly. Even her smile seemed softer, especially as Tori noticed the way the light in the library seemed to make her eyes a more vibrant blue. “Your turn.”

“Uh, okay,” Tori thought about it, and felt heat rise on her cheeks as she considered a question. She glanced at Jade, trying to decide if she should ask it.

“What?” Jade asked sharply, eyes flitting over Tori’s face, “Come on, spill.”

“Would you rather, um…” Tori licked her lips, glancing at the now empty water bottle. “Would you rather kiss Andre or Cat?”

“Okay, first of all, ew. Andre’s my friend and Cat is basically a family pet.”

Tori shrugged. “You still have to choose,” she grinned triumphantly.

Jade exhaled in frustration, but looked thoughtful. Finally she said, “Cat.”

“Really?” Tori was intrigued, looking over at Jade with new eyes as she considered her answer. “Why?”

Jade shrugged. “Cat would be so much less stressful. Andre wants it too much and he’s so neurotic he’d probably have a meltdown after it was over.”

“Oh, please,” Tori waved Jade off, “He’s totally over you.”

“Uh, excuse me?” Jade asked, her eyebrow arching high.

“Nothing!” Tori shouted, with no volume control. “He never had a crush on you and I never helped him sing a song to get over you and I’m shutting up now,” she clamped her jaw shut.

Jade’s eyes narrowed as she locked them on Tori. “What about you?”

For a fleeting moment, Tori thought Jade was asking if Tori was over her and, despite never having been…under…her, it made her stomach flip. “Uh, what?” And then it dawned on her that Jade was probably actually asking about the Andre vs. Cat question. “Um, oh.”

“Uh, um, yeah, yeah. _Answer._ ”

“I mean Andre’s a really good friend and he’s like…I don’t know, a non-annoying sibling.” Tori considered what that meant. “So, then…I guess...Cat.”

“Wow, you’re so excited about it,” droned Jade.

“Well, I’ve just never kissed a girl before so…” The way Jade had so easily and logically landed on Cat for herself made Tori wonder. “Why, have you?”

“Of course I have. When I was thirteen. At theatre camp.”

“Oh.” But then Tori wasn’t sure if that meant on stage or for real. “Like in a play?”

“No.” Jade didn’t offer up any more, but it was enough for Tori to get the picture.

“So you’ve…”

Something about Jade softened. “It’s not like you have to. If you’re not into it.”

“I’m not _not_ into it.”

“Then you should do it.”

“Fine, the next time it comes up, I’ll look into it.” Tori rested her head against the back of the couch. She felt like her heart was racing but her body was so relaxed.

Jade was similarly static, her elbow propped up against the sofa cushion. “If you wanted to, you could. Like…now.”

“I could now? If I wanted to?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

Tori realized what Jade was suggesting. “Like, with you?”

“What, I’m not pretty enough?”

“You’re pretty! Also scary.”

Both sentiments appeared to please Jade. “I’m just saying that it’s not like there’s anything else to do. And then you can check it off your bucket list or whatever.”

The idea did kind of excite Tori. Maybe because of the cookie. Maybe because she’d defeated the gorilla the other night. Maybe she was the kind of girl who made out in detention with someone like Jade. Not that she was planning to, like, make out. “Fine, okay.”

“Yeah?” Jade’s pierced brow arched upward.

“Surprised?”

“No. You already said you think I’m pretty.”

“Wait, what about Beck?”

“Yeah, he’s pretty.”

“He’s your boyfriend.”

“And I’ll tell him I did you this favor. He’ll understand.”

Was it really just that easy? Knowing Beck, it probably was. “So how do we do this?”

“I’m not going to explain kissing to you.”

Tori adjusted her position on the couch so she was facing Jade more squarely. “You just want me to go for it, then?”

Jade groaned. “Don’t make me regret the offer!”

It _was_ an offer and it would be rude to turn it down, right? Tori leaned forward and pressed her lips to Jade’s. They were really soft, which felt so opposite of Jade’s hard-edged personality. She’d only planned to go for a quick, friendly peck, but Jade wasn’t pulling away. She was actually kissing back, which made it basically impossible to want to stop.

Tori felt herself melt into Jade. There was no better word for it. Her body felt light, loose, pliant, and kissing Jade felt _good_. And all she could really focus on was the sensations where their lips connected, and how she wanted to keep feeling them. She felt like a flower, drawn to the sun, and that metaphor was about as rational as her brain was capable of being as she kissed Jade.

It felt like they kissed for a long time, but then, everything seemed to be moving slower today. Still, though, it felt too soon when Jade pulled away. Tori stifled a whimper of complaint, and Jade said, “Whoa, there. I do have a boyfriend, remember?” She sounded entirely too calm to Tori.

“Oh my god. I’m sorry,” Tori leaned away, certain she was blushing. “Chiz. Sorry,” she rambled.

Jade, however, was still smiling as she watched Tori trip over her own tongue, but then spoke again, “Hey, chill out. It’s not a big deal. Besides,” she held onto the next words for a beat, as if deciding whether or not she really wanted to offer them up, “you’re a pretty good kisser, Vega.”

“Really?” Tori couldn’t help smiling in return. It was hard to say which sensations in her body to attribute to what, since she’d never been high before and also had never kissed a girl, but she wondered what was making her feel like she might float away.

Jade was still looking at her expectantly, and Tori wondered if it might be an invitation to kiss her again, but then Jade’s eyebrow rose, “You could say _I’m_ a good kisser,” she prompted.

“Oh! You are. You definitely are,” Tori nodded enthusiastically.

“I know,” Jade was smug as she settled back against the sofa cushion.

Taking a moment to try and center herself, Tori also slouched into the sofa and propped her feet up on the small coffee table. She took a deep breath, which only relaxed her body further and left her feeling as if she’d sunk further into the couch. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get up from here.”

-

“Yeah, I think we’re pretty couch-locked,” Jade replied. She looked over at Tori, who was opening her mouth, “Don’t make me explain that word to you. Just think about it.”

Tori closed her mouth, and nodded. “A high thing?” she asked.

“A high thing,” Jade confirmed, smirking at her wording. “Guess we’ll have to entertain ourselves here for awhile. I’m in no shape to do any homework right now, anyway.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Tori agreed. She stared at something past Jade’s head for a long moment, and then asked, “What should we do? Oh! I have that Talking Reggie app.”

“Here, give me your hand,” Jade said, thinking of something, anything better than that annoying app.

“Why?” Tori asked, but she was already offering Jade her hand.

“You ever do this when you were a kid? Make a fist.” It was something Jade had done with Andre a few months back, having him make a fist while she massaged his fingers, exploiting one of those quirks of the body that made the hand open slowly and produced a tingly sensation. Probably from disrupting circulation. She did it now with Tori, who seemed absolutely delighted.

“Whoa,” Tori said, holding up her hand once Jade had let it go. “So tingly!”

“Here, do it to me,” Jade pushed her own hand at Tori.

“Okay, so I…” Tori copied what Jade had just done to her, although Jade had to encourage her to be more forceful. Jade watched in satisfaction as her own hand opened slowly, and enjoyed the rush of tingles as blood flowed back into her extremity.

Then Tori remembered some other weird game from childhood and pretended to “plant a garden” on Jade’s arm, though she was evidently too nice to actually try to make it hurt, which was mildly disappointing. But by the time that was over, they were sitting together, fingers trailing over each other’s skin and occasionally entangling. It was surprisingly nice. The kiss itself hadn’t been a big deal to Jade, though it had been a lot more fun than she’d expected, coming from Tori. And now, they were just casually touching, and that...was also nice. Jade often forgot that physical contact was something she sometimes liked, since she certainly didn’t want most people to touch her. But Tori was someone whose contact she’d never minded all that much, and right now, when she was really high at school in detention and every physical sensation was that much more intense...it was actually really pleasant.

“I wish we had glue,” Tori said, out of nowhere.

“For what?”

“Remember when I used to do those videos for The Slap?”

“Oh yeah, and people sent you all those creepy requests?” Jade suddenly recalled what Tori was referring to. “We did the one with the glue on your hand.”

“Is that the first time we ever hung out?”

“We hung out plenty before then.” But Jade knew what she meant. They didn’t really ever hang out _together_. “I used that trick in a short film,” she said, still stuck on the glue experiment. “When there was a part where a guy’s skin peeled off.”

“How many films have you made?”

“Like a dozen? Maybe. Some are really short. Some are just me scaring Robbie so bad that he wazzed in his pants.”

“You did not.”

“You’re doubting me?”

“Well, no.” Tori watched the clock without really processing what time it was telling her. “How come you’ve never asked me to help?”

Jade pushed out a single laugh. “Yeah, I don’t know if you’re cut out for the stuff I like to do.”

“You think I can’t take it?”

“You couldn’t take the fall in that movie.”

“I did… eventually.”

Another laugh. “Yeah, because I pushed you.”

“Which, by the way, was _very_ dangerous.” Tori raised her arm to wave a finger at Jade, which was immediately slapped back down. “I can do scary. I live with Trina.”

“I… can’t argue with that.”

Tori settled back with a satisfied smirk. Jade had decided not to let go of her hand after slapping it down, which seemed to distract Tori for a moment. It was always fun to spring something unexpected on her, to see what kind of reaction she’d have. Apparently, she didn’t really have one, because she fell right back into asking Jade more questions about her movies.

“Have you ever entered a film festival?”

“Yeah, obviously. That’s kind of the point of making them.”

“I don’t know, I feel like a lot of people just put stuff like that up on their Slap pages.”

Jade frowned. “No, they don’t. Not stuff like I’m doing. They’re posting stupid sketches and cute videos. I’m making art.”

“Don’t you want people to see what you make?”

“The right people.”

“Oh,” Tori sounded kind of sad. “Is that why you don’t show them to me?”

That was a stupid question. Jade thought Tori was probably an ideal person to give feedback, given how she’d stepped right in when Dale Squires had all but abandoned his own movie. Not that she’d ever give Tori that much credit to her face. “I haven’t shown them to you because I assumed you’d hate them.”

“But you like freaking me out.”

“I don’t know if it’s the cookie or the boredom, but you have a good point. Next week, I’ll bring my PearBook and you can see something.”

“Yeah?” Tori tipped her head in Jade’s direction and it was like Jade could feel her big stupid smile.

She couldn’t remember anyone ever being so enthusiastic about watching one of her films. It made Jade feel…good. “Dial it down, I’m not kissing you again,” she teased, needing to deflect from all the positivity.

That seemed to fluster Tori because she stayed quiet. Or maybe she was just caught up in her high because the next thing out of her mouth was, “What do you think it was like on the Titanic?”

“What, like as it was sinking?”

“No!” Tori sat up. “Before that. Just all the glitz and glamor.”

“It was probably really fancy? And how’d we end up on the Titanic, anyway?”

“I guess we just bought tickets?”

“The topic, dingus.”

“Oh, well…” Tori pointed at one of the shelves. “There’s a book over there about Mary, Queen of Scots and that got me thinking about the Queen Mary, which is supposed to be the same class of ship as the Titanic.”

The boat Tori rambled on about was basically a floating museum about an hour away. “Yeah, it’s supposed to be haunted, too.”

“Have you ever been?”

“No. I don’t do the ocean.”

“But it’d be docked.”

“It’s still in the water.”

“Don’t you want to see a ghost? Or, excuse me, _hear_ a ghost?”

Actually, yes. Jade did very much want to have any kind of experience with a ghost. “It would be cool.”

“You should go. I can go with you, if you’re scared about the ocean.”

“I’m not _scared_ of it. I just don’t do it.”

“Oh, like sweating? Which it turns out you can and will do if the circumstances are right.”

“You have no evidence of that ever happening.”

“If you can sweat, you can board a creepy, haunted, _docked_ ship.” Tori jabbed her in the arm. “Come on, you know you wanna.”

Jade threw an elbow back at her, not hard, just enough to make the poking stop. “I’ll think about it.”

Tori grinned. “I’ll go with you for moral support.”

“Okay, are you trying to make me never want to go?” Jade teased. But really, Tori wouldn’t be bad company on a ghost expedition. She was basically a stereotypical Gryffindor, brave but also clueless half the time. And, looking at the rest of their friends, Andre would be too freaked out by any little thing, Robbie would pee, Cat would wander off and probably enter a portal to the underworld, and Beck would just be so cool about everything that they might as well not even be looking for ghosts.

They contemplated the types of ghosts that haunted both the Queen Mary and the Titanic, complete with Tori’s theoretical action plan on how one would try and ghost hunt at the site of the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the sea.

Eventually, and maybe it was all the talk about being underwater, they both decided acquiring more water was a priority but Jade still basically had to drag Tori off the sofa to get her moving so they could refill the water bottle at the fountain in the hall.

Getting up and moving around was enough to give Jade more perspective on just how high she was. She wasn’t dizzy or off-balance, really, but it was almost like she was experiencing lag, like in a video game or something, and her brain needed slightly longer to catch up to what her legs were doing. It was more interesting than off-putting, but it did make Jade wonder if driving home would really be the best idea, especially given that she was underage.

Tori, on the other hand, once she had groaned about being pulled off the couch when she really didn’t want to move, was now dancing behind Jade as she filled up the water, with big, slow steps and dramatic movements of her arms, which was entertaining to watch. Entertaining enough that Jade eventually realized the water was overflowing out of the bottle and she didn’t know how long it had been happening.

Once they were back on their couch in the lounge area, Jade got out her phone to text Beck. She decided to keep it simple.

**Hey, can you come pick me up after detention?**

**I’ll explain later, but I can’t drive home.**

Beck responded quickly enough, agreeing, and Jade tucked her phone away.

They still had over an hour left to kill and Tori was scrolling through her music collection, playing various songs, trying to find inspiration for her songwriting project. Jade heard a bit of _Take a Hint_ playing before Tori jumped to the next track.

“Wait, play that one. I like it.”

Tori obliged and turned up the volume. They both hummed along with the first verse and by the chorus they were singing together. When it ended, Tori immediately restarted the song and they took it from the top. Seven replays later, they’d worked out their own arrangement of melodies and harmonies. Too bad they couldn’t get extra credit for it.

“I think we sounded pretty damn good,” Jade said.

“You did,” came Sinjin’s voice from around the corner.

“Stop creeping on us!” Tori shot to her feet and stormed over to where he was hiding but he was gone before she reached his hiding place.

When detention was over, they walked out together, letting Sinjin get ahead of them in hopes that they wouldn’t have to talk to him. Trina and Beck were both waiting out front in their respective cars, with Trina evidently not realizing that Beck was in the car behind her as she wasn’t climbing all over his windshield. Tori turned to Jade with a smile, “Bye! I can’t wait to watch your short films next week.”

“Yeah, bye, Vega. Enjoy the rest of that cookie buzz.”

Tori looked confused for a split second before she laughed and got in Trina’s car. Jade watched her as she made her way to Beck’s car.

“Hey,” Beck said as she slid into the passenger’s seat, “Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jade said, watching as they drove away from the school and onto the street. “I just didn’t think it would be safe to drive myself home. Tori brought in a weed cookie that we split.”

“Wait,” Beck glanced at her. “Tori brought _weed_ to school. Tori _Vega_.”

“Not on purpose. She’s not that cool. I guess her mom owns a dispensary or something? Anyway, she thought it was just a boring regular cookie when she offered it to me.”

“Oh,” Beck sounded a little surprised, but also exactly like his own chill self.

“Yeah, so, I’m still coming down from that. But, it wasn’t so bad. Sinjin didn’t even bother us that much. And Trina brought tacos again, so that was fun. Though she was being creepy and trying to look for you. Dickers wasn’t even around to bother us.”

“That’s cool,” Beck managed to get in.

“Yeah, Tori and I even kind of hung out and it was pretty cool, I guess. Oh, and also, I told her I’d tell you about this, even though I know you know it’s not a big deal, because of how we are together, but Tori had never kissed a girl so I did her a favor and let her kiss me. So, yeah, I just wanted to tell you that. You’re always trying to get me to be nice to her.”

“Oh, okay,” Beck said, his tone the same as it always was. Something about that frustrated Jade, a little. Even if a little kissing between women wasn’t that big of a deal in terms of the status of their relationship, Jade thought that he might at least be more interested in it.

“Yeah, it really wasn’t a big deal,” she found herself saying. She was starting to realize she was talking a lot, probably from the cookie, but also, even being aware of it, it was hard to stop. “She even tried to convince me to go on the Queen Mary with her to look for ghosts, but, I mean, it is still a boat, on the ocean, so I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

By the time they’d made it to Jade’s house, Beck hadn’t said more than a dozen words to her. Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down to see a text from Tori, but didn’t open it yet. “Anyway, thanks for the ride,” she told Beck.

“Wait a minute,” Beck said quickly, “Hold on, I have good news for you.”

“Oh,” Jade settled back into her seat, turning to fully look at Beck. Watching the scenery change around her had been oddly arresting during the drive, such that she hadn’t looked at him much even as she’d been talking to him, but now, she turned to take in his handsome face, perfect hair, and eager grin. “Well?” she asked.

“I talked to Helen, and she agreed that Dickers took things too far, so I got yours and Tori’s remaining detentions rescinded,” Beck reported happily.

“Wait. You did what?” Jade asked dully. Her focus crystalized in a way that seemed to make her high recede, and she thought she really understood what the expression ‘knocking the wind out of one’s sails’ meant now.

“Yeah!” Beck sounded humble, but he was clearly pleased with himself. “I know no one wants to spend their Saturdays in detention, plus I know you wanted to go to that movie at the old school theater next weekend. So, I took care of it for you,” he shrugged modestly.

“Did I _ask_ you to do that?” Jade asked through her clenched jaw.

Beck’s brow furrowed, finally beginning to catch on to her change in mood. “I thought you’d be happy. I also thought I’d be better suited to talk Helen out of it and, you know, charm her a little. But I did it for you,” he said, still as calm as always, but clearly confused.

For some reason (not that Jade ever needed a reason), it was really irritating the way he kept referring to the principal as _Helen_ , Even though it was her name and it wasn’t unlike Beck to be on a first name basis with adults because he was so damn likeable and charming. But that was beside the point. “I don’t _need_ you to make decisions for me. I’m sure Tori doesn’t either.”

“Hey, I was just trying to do something nice.” Beck rarely ever raised his voice outside of an acting scenario and, while he was still calm, there was an edge to it.

“Well, _thanks_ ,” Jade spat as she slipped out the car door and away from him. “I’ll text you later,” she said without turning around.

There was a mildly exasperated, “Bye,” from inside the car.

Once she was inside her house, she opened the text from Tori to find:

“Whoa!” Jade actually exclaimed aloud as she looked at the picture. She texted back:

**I guess still too high**

**That was a trip**

**The face is sooo much**

**Wait, there’s a face????? 😳**

**J/K 🤪**

The moment of levity cheered her up a little, but she was quickly reminded of her irritation with Beck as she got onto her laptop. She ended up sending Tori an email with one of her more recent short films attached, then texted her again.

**I emailed you one of my films, I can send more if you like it.**

**But bc of Beck, we don’t have detention next Sat, so I figured you can just watch it on your own.**

Tori replied a moment later:

**Wait, really? That’s awesome! 🙌**

**Thanks, Beck!** 😀😀

 **And I’m super excited to check out your short film!** 🎥

Jade was irritated that Tori seemed fine with Beck making decisions for them both, but didn’t know how to express that. She was still stewing on it when another text came through.

**Sooooo I didn’t get too in trouble with my mom.**

**She was kinda mad, but she also wanted me to ask ‘my weird friend’ how the high is??**

That made Jade smile a little.

**I don’t know, it’s not like I’m a stoner.**

**But I guess it’s like a good body high?**

**Thanks! I’ll tell her.**

**I don’t have anything to compare it to so I just said it’s chill and she didn’t find that very helpful.**

**Please. You have not been chill at all today.**

**I thought I was pretty chill when we were stuck on the sofa for like four hours. ☃️**

**Yeah, because you were stoned.**

**But I guess you were way less annoyingly animated than usual so…**

**So, you admit I was chill?**

**You’re definitely not being chill now.**

Jade had to admit that was actually funny while also wondering if the officer in question was Tori’s dad. And maybe she could let herself accept that spending the day with Tori Vega, one-on-one, hadn’t exactly been the worst experience of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Warrior_ by Kesha.
> 
> This chapter doesn't take place during any episodes, but it does directly reference events from:
> 
> The Breakfast Bunch (3.01)  
> The Gorilla Club (3.02)
> 
> **Next time on _Tori Vega is a Virgin Who Can't Drive_ :**
> 
> A moment to chat opened up in, of all places, the restroom. Probably because Beck wasn’t also there so Jade could keep fighting with him.
> 
> “Hey,” said Tori, watching Jade in the mirror as she moved to her own sink to wash her hands.
> 
> Jade was checking her make-up, probably making sure she looked as dark and sinister as ever. “Hey.” It wasn’t the warmest of responses, but it didn’t have any bite to it, either. But then she came back in with, “I swear, if you say anything about your dumb broken phone, I will flush it.”
> 
> “Do you think Sinjin’s game show is going to be any good?” It was the first thing Tori could think of that wasn’t about her phone or anything too personal (“Hi, are things weird between you and Beck because we kissed?”). Talking in memes and emojis had made things so much easier.
> 
> “Not at all.”


	2. Oh, how we lost our minds

Tori was having a terrible night. Even though her mom had been pretty lenient about the cookie incident, her dad kept messing with her, waving his arms around her head and asking her if she was still high.

“Dad, come on! You’re making me dizzy.”

“Hey, you do the crime, you do the time.”

“I didn’t know it was one of Mom’s special bakery items!”

Her dad leaned back and looked her in the eyes, as if he was doing a traffic stop. “You swear?”

“I swear.”

“All right. But this doesn’t happen again, am I clear? Not until you’re eighteen.”

Tori nodded. “Trust me, I learned my lesson.” She really had no desire to jump right back into the kind of headspace she’d entered that morning, though she could see there were some benefits. Bonding with Jade, for instance. But maybe they could ride this experience out for a while. In the meantime, she’d get her kicks from performing, the way she normally did.

Jade had kept up with their text conversation for a little while, but things had slowed to a stop by the time Tori got ready for bed. As she brushed her teeth, she she sent a text that said:

**Do you think we’ll have extra weird dreams tonight?**

**I hope so.**

**Is an extra weird dream for other people just something regular to you?**

**Probably.**

**LMAO** 😂 🤣

As Tori went to set her phone on the bathroom counter, it fumbled from her hand and fell straight into the toilet. “Aw, chiz!!” Once she’d fished it out, cleaned it off, and dried it, the screen still worked, it seemed okay.

**OMG I DROPPED MY PEARPHONE IN THE TOILET**

**That’s disgusting**

**You’d better not be texting me on it**

**Why would that matter?**

**It’s gross, Vega**

**It’s fine**

**Goodnight! I hope you have weird dreams** 💀 👻 👽

**Sweet dreams**

Tori laughed and headed into her bedroom. Her phone seemed fine; it wasn’t the first time she’d dropped it in the toilet, and it always managed to survive. She plugged it in on the bedside table and as she turned to get pajamas, she heard a strange popping sound, and a smell like ozone. She turned, eyeing her phone, and noticed a light waft of vapor coming from it. But when she checked it, the phone didn’t seem like it was too hot or anything, so she left it on the charger.

She pulled up an old episode of _That’s a Drag_ on her PearPad as she settled into bed. Man, this show was funny. Or…was it still the cookie talking? How would she know when she was back to being Regular!Tori instead of High!Tori? As she contemplated that, she fell asleep. About four hours later, she was jolted awake by a loud buzzing sound. Was it a spirit? As she grounded herself, she realized it was coming from her phone. Maybe keeping it plugged in overnight was a bad idea, so she pulled the cable out of charge port and set the phone back on her nightstand. Now her heart was racing and she certainly didn’t feel chill nor was she amused by what had happened when the PearPhone had scared the living chiz out of her.

It felt like she was back to her old self.

-

Jade slept in on Sunday, because if she only had one real day of her weekend, she was going to enjoy it. When she rolled out of bed in the very late morning, she checked her phone as she headed to the kitchen to make coffee. She had a text from Beck, which she ignored for the time being, and a text from Tori.

**I &hw9d s^ch aw(eir;d d%re0am l#as t n ig*ht**

**Om(g**

Jade stared at the text. She had not had enough coffee to even try to decipher that. As she listened to the coffee brew, she replied.

**Vega, if you’re still stoned, you should probably see a doctor**

She opened the text from Beck while she waited for the coffee. It was a generic good morning text, the kind he might send if he were trying to gauge her mood. She didn’t feel like dealing with him yet, so she left him on read for the time being.

After her coffee, an apple cinnamon muffin, a shower, a few more weird texts from Tori that made zero sense, plus a couple memes that were at least in the English language, Jade finally sent a text back to Beck.

It’s possible that wasn’t the best plan.

**Come pick me up for lunch in an hour**

**Don’t you think we should talk?**

**About what?**

**Yesterday**

Jade felt a slight pang of guilt over the fact that she’d shut him out all night and most of the morning. Then again, the whole reason they’d argued was because of what he’d done without talking to her.

**Did you want to apologize?**

**For what? Helping you?**

**I didn't ask for it!**

**You’re not exactly known for asking for help when you need it**

Jade’s reaction to the text was an audible and guttural, “ _OH._ ” She didn’t need to be parented by her boyfriend. Another message lit up the screen and Jade’s thumbs were now itching for an argument, but instead of a text from Beck, it was a message from Tori. Another stupid meme.

This was a distinct change in theme. They’d been sending Titanic and weed memes since detention ended. Jade scrolled up and looked at the previous text that she’d assumed was jibberish. Tori’s phone was broken. Probably from when it fell in the disgusting toilet.

**Whoa sucks for you**

**I can basically say whatever I want and you can’t reply?**

**This could get really good**

**Yeah that’s kind of my brand**

But, it did suck that Tori’s phone was busted. They’d been having a decent exchange that had kept Jade’s mind off of her fight with Beck. Maybe she could give Tori a break. A very small one, just this one time.

😂😂😂

Just as Jade was feeling pleased with Tori’s reaction, another text from Beck pushed through. She felt herself scowl before she even read the text.

**Look, I really don’t want to fight with you about this**

**Well then maybe you should do a better job of not pissing me off**

**I really don’t see what the big deal is! I did you a favor**

Jade fumed. He still didn’t get it. Well, she wasn’t going to explain it to him.

His next text came as something of a surprise.

**Does this have something to do with Tori?**

**Why, are you mad that I kissed her?**

Three dots flashed in sequence for what was far too long for the short message that finally came through.

**I thought she kissed you**

Jade rolled her eyes.

**Anyway it’s not about that because you’re right that it’s not a big deal**

**Unless it’s supposed to be**

In Jade’s mind, it _kind of_ was about Tori, at least in that it would be nice if Beck expressed any kind of major emotion more often than twice a year. She replayed the car ride home, to see if there was any different perspective on it now that she wasn’t fighting the THC in her body. Except it was all just even more clear to her that he’d nodded and uh-huh’d his way through everything she’d told him because he was just waiting for his chance to tell her about his uninvited conversation with _Helen_.

**This has nothing to do with Tori**

**It has everything to do with how you don’t listen to me**

**Right, because you’ve always been very concerned with my needs**

**I barely saw you all last week because you were at the Gorilla Club every night**

**I was helping a friend!**

**Yeah you’re always helping**

At this point, she was close to wanting to slam her phone against the wall, so she decided it was time to exit the conversation.

**I still have homework to do so I’ll see you tomorrow**

She turned the volume off and dropped the phone onto her bed. There certainly was homework to be done, but she wasn’t ready to focus on it, not right now. Her eyes scanned the BluRay and DVD titles that ran across the length of her bookshelf. Getting lost in a bloodbath might be the best solution to her mood, so she settled on _The Scissoring_ , since it always made her feel better.

-

Jade was less responsive as the day went on. At least, Tori thought so. With the way her phone was acting up, it was hard to be sure. It would only work when it was plugged in, shutting off immediately if it were unplugged, and the end of the charging cord that actually plugged into the phone had to be connected _just so_ or it would shut off, so Tori quickly got used to unplugging the phone from the wall when she needed to reset it. Which was a lot. It was opening random apps, playing random ringtones, and her keyboard only worked on occasion, usually spitting out gibberish.

At least emojis seemed to be working, and at least she could still copy and paste memes. Otherwise, she had no way to communicate reliably.

But as Jade seemed to let their conversation dry up, Tori didn’t push. It would be hard to do so anyway, and she had homework to finish. Jade probably did, too, if she’d spent her previous evening anything like Tori did, unfocused and sleepy and hungry as she recovered from her high.

So Tori pushed herself into a productive Sunday. She spoke briefly with Andre on video chat about the song she’d been working on, but before they could even really get into how Tori’s detention had gone, Andre had to sign off in a hurry to help his grandma, who was panicking about spies in her washing machine.

Not that she was really sure she wanted to talk to Andre about kissing Jade. It was the kind of thing that might freak him out. Not because they were both girls, but because it was _Jade_. Especially since Tori had helped him get over a rather anxiety-inducing crush on Jade only months before. Yeah, it wasn’t really something she felt keen to discuss with Andre, even though it also felt significant enough that she wanted to be able to dish to her best friend about it.

By the time Tori went to bed Sunday night, she had her contingency plan in place for how to deal with her broken cell phone. She’d even tried leaving it immersed in rice for awhile during the afternoon, when it seemed pretty clear that Jade wasn’t about to text, but it didn’t seem to do any good. So Tori’s dad had dug around in the garage until he found a long extension cord, and Tori put it in her backpack so that she’d be able to keep her phone plugged in around school. Though he’d also just asked her why she didn’t just get a new phone, and Tori had to explain to him that she wanted to wait for the new PearPhone XT. He didn’t seem to get it, but then, he was her dad. What did he know?

Tori came into school that Monday with some sense of eagerness. She felt that she’d turned a new corner with her friendship with Jade, and was hopeful that they might enjoy interacting with each other at school.

But when she first saw Jade, she was with Beck, and they were arguing, so Tori kept her distance.

That turned out to be the theme for the entire day. In every class, in the hallway between classes, at lunch, Beck and Jade were arguing. Tori couldn’t even really tell what, exactly, they were arguing about, because their fights were really only them poking at each other, without any insight into what they were upset about.

And even though Jade had told her it was no big deal, and that Beck would understand, a part of Tori worried that they might be fighting about the kiss. That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

A moment to chat opened up in, of all places, the restroom. Probably because Beck wasn’t also there for Jade to keep fighting with him.

“Hey,” said Tori, watching Jade in the mirror as she moved to her own sink to wash her hands.

Jade was checking her make-up, probably making sure she looked as dark and sinister as ever. “Hey.” It wasn’t the warmest of responses, but it didn’t have any bite to it, either. But then she came back in with, “I swear, if you say anything about your dumb broken phone, I will flush it.”

“Do you think Sinjin’s game show is going to be any good?” It was the first thing Tori could think of that wasn’t about her phone or anything too personal (“Hi, are things weird between you and Beck because we kissed?”). Talking in memes and emojis had made things so much easier.

“Not at all.”

Tori moved to grab a paper towel. At least they were talking. “It’s cool that maybe it’ll get picked up, though.”

“I guess.” Okay, “talking” was maybe a stretch. But then Jade turned the subject away from Sinjin’s show. “Are you hosting poker night again this week?”

“Yeah!” Did this mean Jade wanted to hang out? “Everyone has to decide what day still.” Tori offered Jade a slight smile. “You actually like playing?”

Jade didn’t smile back but she didn’t glower at her, either. “I like winning. And I’m determined to beat Trina.”

“Ugh, she’s scary good, right?” While her sister was almost comically talentless in most areas, she seemed to excel at cards.

“Because she’s a sociopath.”

Tori hummed in agreement as they exited the bathroom. Immediately Jade was back in an argument with Beck, so Tori edged away toward her locker to avoid getting roped into their fight.

The next day was more of the same, a tense day at school for anyone who had to be around Beck and Jade, her broken phone making it nearly impossible to communicate with anyone, a mediocre meal from the lunch truck. By the time she caught a ride with Andre and Cat to Sinjin’s game show, Tori was actually looking forward to being part of the audience.

“This should be fun, right?” she asked her friends as they filed into their seats.

It...wasn’t.

-

Sinjin’s stupid game show was a horrible disaster. And not the kind that usually brought Jade pleasure. She’d been put on the spot and forced to talk about the ocean, of all things, and how she hated it, all while being interrupted by Tori’s loud, annoying phone (though Tori’s embarrassment over her mother’s trip to the pharmacy was something of a bright spot). And to cap it all off, Beck announced he was unhappy with their relationship. On fake television, in front of a bunch of mouth-breathers from Northridge and one television executive.

“Just get in the car,” Jade demanded, waiting for Beck to open his door.

“I want to talk about this.”

“We can _talk in the car_ ,” she seethed. The last thing she really wanted was more eyes on this situation.

“Fine.” Beck climbed in the passenger side.

Jade immediately started up the engine and threw the car into reverse. She hit the gas but there was a thump and a scream. Had she just killed someone? This wasn’t how she’d ever pictured it. Beck immediately jumped out of the car to see what had happened.

It was Sinjin. He’d been creeping behind her car, waiting to spring some kind of stupid trophy on them. She wanted to ram it down his throat.

Once the paramedics arrived, it was clear she hadn’t actually run over him, she’d just hit him at the right angle for her bumper to screw up his knee. Maybe she felt bad. But he was the one being a creep. He even admitted he’d been hiding because he was waiting for the right moment to spring the "Worst Couple" award on them.

The drive home with Beck was even more tense than the drive to the game show, but this time, instead of sniping at each other, there was only silence. Jade didn’t really feel that guilty that she’d hit Sinjin--in her opinion, he deserved it for being such a creep--but it had upset Beck. Mostly, she knew, the silence that was heavy between them was because of Beck’s outburst during the game show.

Jade didn’t want to talk about it. He was being completely unreasonable, he had embarrassed her, and she still didn’t think he understood why she was mad. It was frustrating to feel so misunderstood by him when he was supposed to be someone who knew her so well.

So they barely spoke on the way home, didn’t text that night, and that was fine with Jade. But apparently, Beck had been stewing on it, because during school the next day, he’d dragged her into the janitor’s closet to argue. Even when Cat had barged in, babbling about a closet party and spoons, only to be dragged into their argument until she fainted, Jade still didn’t think it was a huge deal. So they fought sometimes. It was just how relationships went.

When the school day was over, Beck appeared to have calmed down a bit, and it seemed like they were moving onto the next part of their typical fight pattern, in which Beck tried to make peace. This usually involved going somewhere together or even a gift, so when Beck asked to come over that evening, Jade thought she knew where this was heading.

Beck came to the front door and Jade let him in. Usually the order of events was gift, apology, and then going out somewhere. Beck didn’t bring anything with him, which was fine, if mildly disappointing. So Jade was ready to accept an apology.

Only the apology didn’t come. Jade was a little thrown, but she tried to roll with it as Beck asked, “So what do you wanna do?”

“I don’t know,” Jade said, “We could get something to eat. It’s not like there’s anything else going on tonight.”

Beck stared at her for a moment, his eyes hardening. “Yeah, there is,” he said simply, firmly.

“What are you talking about?”

“Our friends are all over at Tori’s playing poker.”

Jade was irritated. Beck always acted like he knew everything. “They are not,” she snapped, “Tori was going to tell me when poker night was.”

“Well, she didn’t, because it’s tonight,” Beck threw up his hands in frustration.

“Okay, it’s not, and I’ll prove it,” Jade snapped.

She knew there was no use in texting Tori. Her phone was still an unmitigated disaster, considering she’d been wheeling around a stack of car batteries on a dolly all over school that day to keep her phone charged. Not that it had seemed to help much. She hadn’t even tried to send Jade any memes, which probably meant her phone was now almost completely useless. So instead, Jade started walking, Beck followed her outside, and they got into Jade’s car.

Nothing about that evening went like it should have.

It _was_ poker night at Tori’s. And no one had told her or Beck, because they were tired of them fighting. And as if feeling betrayed by Tori, of all people, wasn’t enough, Beck had also broken up with her in front of everyone. Well, he’d threatened it and she’d tried to call his bluff the same way she had to many times before, but when he didn’t stop her from leaving Tori’s house, it became clear that this was a bigger fight than perhaps she’d been willing to admit.

And when his status on The Slap updated to single, she realized he’d actually followed through. Until that point, Jade thought they still might come back from that fight. But, fine, if Beck wanted to be broken up, they’d be broken up. She matched her status with his and left it at that.

On her way to school the next morning, she got a text from Tori.

It was unexpected enough to make her laugh. It also wasn’t really like Tori.

She expected Tori to send something having to do with the breakup the night before--Tori was always getting into sad people’s business. Or an apology for not inviting her to poker night would’ve been nice. But she had to admit, the stupid meme was a lot more pleasant than the expected typical Tori platitudes. She didn’t reply because she was on her way to school, and that seemed to be it.

But then, at her locker, her phone blew up.

Jade stared at her phone, slammed her locker, and then hollered, “TORI!”

The people around her scattered, and she could see Tori at her own locker down the hall, looking at Jade apprehensively as she approached.

“Uh, hey Jade!” Tori greeted.

“What is the matter with you?”

Tori’s eyes shifted as she groped for a response, “Uh, what are you--”

“Are you really so desperate for attention that you’d send fifteen of the same stupid Spongebob meme?”

Tori frowned, “I sent you _one_ meme when I got my new phone, because I’d been trying to send it for like a full day.”

Wordlessly, Jade scrolled through her text thread to show Tori all the copies of the meme she got.

“Uh, wow.” Tori was way too amused by this. “Maybe they were queued from my broken phone somehow. Or maybe my phone freaked out when I threw it away because I just wasted money on a GX last night and the XT came out this morning! Can you believe that?”

Jade didn’t really care about Tori’s stupid phone drama. “Whatever. Just don’t do it again.”

Jade was about to walk away, but Tori gently grabbed her arm. “Hey, wait a minute.”

Jade groaned, “What?”

Tori briefly chewed her lip before responding, “I’m sorry about you and Beck,” she said, but quickly pushed past that, before Jade could make any kind of scathing reply, “But I’m also sorry that I didn’t invite you to poker night.”

That was a surprise. Jade looked at her then. Tori looked truly remorseful, almost ashamed.

“I wanted to invite you, but the others begged me not to. So...I didn’t. And I feel really bad, because I promised you I would.”

“Okay,” Jade said, trying for a neutral tone. Normally, she would’ve loved watching Tori beg for forgiveness, would’ve milked it for all it was worth. But she was tired, and she appreciated Tori’s honesty. But it was too much, too, on top of everything else, and so she walked away.

-

Tori watched Jade abruptly walk away after accepting her apology. Or at least, she thought Jade accepted her apology. Everything was so confusing. She knew things hadn’t looked great for Beck and Jade the night before, but finding out it was Slap-official this morning made it sink in.

She’d even talked to Beck the previous night. He had been the last to leave, since he’d had to pry Trina off of him in order to even get out the door. Tori followed him out.

“Hey,” she’d said to him, feeling awkward and not knowing how to talk about what she was worried about, so she just went for it. “I’m sorry if...uh, Jade and I...kissing had anything to do with you guys fighting.”

Beck’s face had softened at that. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Our fight is about deeper issues in our relationship. It’s not a big deal that you guys kissed.”

“Okay,” Tori felt relieved, but there was also a part of her that still felt guilty. And she wanted to talk to Jade about everything that was happening. So she made her dad drive her to the Pear Store to replace her phone, spent all night updating and syncing it, until finally, in the morning, she could use it again.

And even then, she didn’t actually know what she wanted to say to Jade, and the Spongebob meme she’d been trying to send was what had gone out. Multiple times.

She at least felt good that she’d managed to apologize to Beck, even if that turned out to be over nothing, and to Jade, who seemed to actually accept it. Maybe. Tori still wasn’t sure where they stood right now. Other than a few interactions on the Slap, there wasn’t much communication between them outside of class for the next several days. It was weird how they’d only spent one day being something more like friends and that Tori already missed it. She also knew that Jade was avoiding nearly everyone except Cat, so there was some hope that it wasn’t specifically personal.

-

Jade spent the first weekend after her breakup being angry. Even more so than usual, and not in the way that she usually enjoyed. She was angry with Beck, primarily. She still didn’t understand exactly what had happened to lead to the breakup. They always fought, and as far as she was concerned, that was normal. Then again, she was pretty sure that her concept of normal was kind of fucked up, considering her parents. But fighting had never been that big of a deal for them before. At least when they fought, Beck was paying attention to her. At least he was showing her something other than his cool, even-keel, passive baseline.

Jade was also angry with Tori, briefly. For a time, she was certain that if she and Tori hadn’t kissed at detention, none of this would have happened. But when her rational mind caught up with her, she realized that the kiss really had nothing to do with the breakup. Sure, she’d been irritated with the way Beck was so completely disinterested in it, but that was more on him than on Tori.

Still, she was angry in general, and even knowing it wasn’t Tori’s fault and actually being a little grateful that Tori had offered her an apology (which was more than Beck had done lately), she still didn’t know how to deal with her. She didn’t text her, but posted a few passive-aggressive things on the Slap designed to poke at her, and get her attention. And besides, Tori wasn’t texting her, either.

The first week back at school, Jade avoided everyone. Her anger was still present, but diminishing, even her anger at Beck, a little bit. A part of her still thought he might decide to reconcile, and that little piece of hope made her at least avoid him rather than confront him with all her rage. And, she felt the others in their friend group had made it pretty clear they didn’t want her around the night of the poker game at Tori’s house, so she figured she’d give them what they wanted.

But that weekend, Cat asked her to come with her to dogsit for her mother’s boss, and having had little human interaction that week, Jade decided to accept.

That night seemed to be turning into the worst kind of shit when everything in the house started breaking, and Beck showed up. Even an earthquake that covered their tracks couldn’t totally relieve Jade, because she couldn’t help but notice that even during a natural disaster, only a week after breaking up, Beck had not tried at all to protect her, or make sure she was okay. Not even a little.

For Jade, that settled it. They weren’t coming back from this one.

And as the school week started up again, Jade began to realize that whatever had been going on with her and Tori, even if it was just stupid memes, she kind of missed it. So one day, as Sikowitz had Andre and Robbie doing a very boring scene in which they weren’t allowed to move their arms or legs while delivering lines, Jade sent Tori a text.

And across the room, Tori’s phone chimed. Everyone looked at her.

“Geez, Tori, maybe you should turn off your phone in class,” Jade snarked. She surreptitiously sent the meme again.

“Ugh, sorry!” Tori said to everyone around her. She silenced her phone, but it was still vibrating madly in her lap. Jade was still texting the meme, over and over again. Tori’s face was growing concerned, “Um, sorry,” she addressed Sikowitz, who was watching her expectantly. “Maybe I better check why my phone is blowing up, it might be my family…”

Jade watched as she turned on her phone, and her mouth dropped open. She didn’t look at Tori directly, but from the corner of her eye, she saw as Tori glanced at her, appalled.

“Um, maybe I’ll just turn this off,” Tori said quickly, and did so.

Jade smirked in satisfaction. She glanced at Tori a few minutes later, and Tori looked back at her. She was smiling.

For once, Jade didn’t hate it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Last Goodbye_ by Kesha.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode events of:
> 
> The Worst Couple (3.03)  
> Andre’s Horrible Girl (3.04)
> 
> ****
> 
> ****
> 
> **Next time on _Tori Vega is a Virgin Who Can't Drive_ :**
> 
>   
> “ _Maybe you’ll contact a spirit_ ,” was the mini-mantra that kept running through Jade’s head as she deliberated whether or not she just wanted to turn the car around. When she’d agreed to drive Cat’s brother’s car, she’d assumed it would have the basic amenities, like a radio and an actual seatbelt. And the big boat-like Caddy didn’t seem to go over fifty miles-an-hour. It felt like she’d been driving forever, though the clock on the dash indicated it had only been about an hour. But, maybe like everything else in this deathtrap, it was broken. Or maybe it was the part where Tori and Cat were going on and on about hamster Santa and electricity, which was so mind-numbing, it made minutes feel like hours.


	3. If you're one of us, then roll with us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Clowns.
> 
> Also, these last two chapters are the shortest in this piece. Everything else is probably 25 pages per chapter or more. Yeah, we know.

Outside of their brief conversations in person while at school or hanging with the group, they were still communicating primarily with memes about a week later. A few times Tori found herself beginning to text Jade about something that had happened at school or something weird Trina had done, but then she’d delete and pull up an advice animal meme and send that instead. Jade, it turned out, was partial to philosoraptor.

So, on this particular morning, she’d sent one during Sikowitz’s class while he droned on about the time he got lost following stage directions:

Jade laughed. Just once. But it was enough that Tori heard it from three seats over. It made her feel pretty damn good.

What wasn’t making her feel good was the fact that Cat hadn’t been in class with them and she wasn’t answering her phone. She and Tori were supposed to be working on their science project that was due the next day. When she finally did find Cat, she was a complete mess over the death of an actress. Tori found herself promising to take Cat to the house of the recently deceased Mona Patterson, but when Cat asked if she’d drive, Tori had to admit that she’d failed her driver’s test after colliding with an old woman in a wheelchair. (The only benefit of this happening was that Jade laughed for a solid five minutes after Tori told her about it while they were waiting for the rest of the group to join them at lunch earlier that week.)

The bell rang and Jade rounded the corner to toss her notebook in her locker, giving Cat the chance to ask her to drive them.

But Jade, true to form, immediately denied the request and turned to walk away. “No.”

“Wait.” Tori saw an opportunity to both help out Cat and maybe have a chance to reconnect with Jade. She caught Jade by the arm and pulled her back. “Please?” She knew she only had a small window before Jade tried to retreat again, so she acted quickly. “Cat’s really sad because this actress passed away last night and--”

“Whoa!” Jade interrupted. “She passed away just last night?” Tori had a feeling this might be the hook to get Jade to cooperate.

“Yeah,” confirmed Cat.

“Then yeah.” Jade actually seemed excited about it. “Yeah, I’ll drive you guys to her house.”

Tori wondered how much of this was friendship and how much was about the possibility of a paranormal experience. “Why’d you change your mind?”

“Because it’s been less than twenty-four hours, which means her spirit is still lingering.” Jade looked right at Tori. “So I’ll be able to breathe in the fumes of her soul.”

Tori was pretty sure Jade was making all this up on the spot. She’d never heard of a person breathing in the fumes of anyone’s soul. But what if it was real? Or, holy chiz, what if Jade ended up possessed by this woman? Did she want to be responsible for that? “Maybe there’s a bus we can take.”

“NO!” Jade was adamant. “No, I’ll take you. We can leave after sundown.”

Tori had been hoping to handle this as soon as they were free from class, because she and Cat still needed to finish their project. “Why can’t we just go after school?”

“I don’t like driving in the daylight!” Jade walked away, leaving Tori and Cat alone at the lockers.

In the window of time between school letting out and meeting up with Jade, she and Cat at least finished the preliminary setup of their project: A hamster-powered robot. Tori figured she’d bring the entire setup along with them so she could do some tests on the drive. The core education classes at Hollywood Arts were minimal, but students had to maintain a B average in them to be in good academic standing.

As darkness fell, they all piled into Cat’s brother’s car. It wasn’t a particularly nice car, but Tori wasn’t about to complain. It seemed to drive just fine, even if Tori was pretty sure the rope that replaced Jade’s seatbelt wasn’t exactly legal. But they weren’t going far, and Tori was focused on the hamster-powered robot project anyway.

When they started driving, Jade demanded that Tori find something on the radio that wasn’t awful. Rolling her eyes, Tori bent toward the radio to comply, but no matter what she pushed, nothing happened.

“Um, Cat?” Tori asked, “The radio isn’t working.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s broken,” Cat said casually.

“What do you mean, it’s broken?” Jade asked in irritation.

“I mean, it doesn’t work,” Cat explained.

Jade groaned, but Tori was still poking around at it. “Well, what’s wrong with it? Maybe we could...oh,” Tori jiggled one of the dials too hard, and the entire face plate of the radio had popped out of the dashboard and into her hand. “Oh,” she said again, processing that the wires coming out of it were attached to absolutely nothing.

Jade glanced at it, “Way to go, Tori!”

“I didn’t do anything!” Tori protested.

“It’s okay,” Cat reassured, hands held up placatingly, “It’s broken.”

“We know that!” Tori and Jade yelled in unison.

Tori shoved the face plate back into the dashboard.

“So, Cat,” Jade said, “Any reason your brother replaced this seatbelt with a rope?”

“No, he just likes rope,” Cat replied simply.

With the radio out of commission, Tori shifted her attention to the hamster-powered robot. She and Cat had rigged everything up correctly, they were pretty sure, but it still wasn’t working.

Without anything else to focus on, Jade had asked them about the project. Tori explained how it worked to Jade, who looked utterly disinterested.

“Isn’t it cool?” Cat asked.

“I don’t know,” Jade drawled, “All I heard was hamster, hamster, science, science, Tori’s boring, kill me.”

Tori wasn’t particularly hurt by the jab at her. She knew that Jade didn’t actually find her boring. There was no way Jade would keep texting her if she did. But if Jade wanted to poke at her, Tori would poke back.

Besides. She owed Jade for the time Jade had let her drink trash coffee.

“You want a muffin?” Tori asked, holding up the one that had been rolling around at her feet since they started moving.

“Sure,” Jade accepted and took a bite.

“You brought muffins?” Cat asked with interest.

“Oh, no, I found it under the seat,” Tori replied proudly, smiling as she heard Jade violently spit it out. “Not so boring now, am I?” Tori gloated.

“All right, Vega,” Jade started vehemently. “I’m gonna pull over a--”

They were interrupted by Cat, who begged them not to fight. “I’m not gonna sit here and listen to you fight for the next two hours.”

Which was how they found out they were going to San Diego.

Jade actually screeched to a stop in the middle of the road. Good. At least the brakes worked, Tori thought.

Tori and Jade were in total agreement, for once. There was no way they were going to San Diego. But then, Cat started crying.

Tori glanced at Jade awkwardly. Jade’s jaw was set, and she looked furious, but Tori could see her resolve wavering. It was something in her eyes.

“Just drive the child to San Diego,” Tori sighed. She knew they were in agreement about something else: neither of them wanted to make Cat cry, even if Jade would never admit it.

“All right,” Jade agreed, though she sounded angry about it. She put her foot back on the gas, and they were off.

-

 _“Maybe you’ll contact a spirit,”_ was the mini-mantra that kept running through Jade’s head as she deliberated whether or not she just wanted to turn the car around. When she’d agreed to drive Cat’s brother’s car, she’d assumed it would have the basic amenities, like a radio and an actual seatbelt. And, to top it all off, the big boat-like Caddy didn’t seem to go over fifty miles-an-hour. It felt like she’d been driving forever, though the clock on the dash indicated it had only been about forty-five minutes. But, maybe like everything else in this deathtrap, it was broken. Or maybe it was the part where Tori and Cat were going on and on about hamster Santa and electricity, which was so mind-numbing, it made minutes feel like hours.

When Cat checked her PearPad, the GPS confirmed they were actually right on schedule, halfway there. Jade guessed that also excited the hamster, because he started running faster and the robot actually began to move. Who knew the boring science project would actually function? It was kind of neat, in a nerdy way, Jade silently observed to herself. It was also kind of cute the way Tori was so excited about it, something Jade filed away under the “take this to the grave” part of her brain. She hoped this meant the drive might go by faster since the other two might actually talk about something interesting, now that they’d finished their homework.

All hopes of that were dashed when it started to rain.

And the button that operated the convertible top didn’t work.

And the windshield wipers had flown off when Tori turned them on.

And they were ten miles from the next exit.

Jade didn’t think she’d ever been so miserable in her life when she pulled into the gas station at the next exit. Her pants were soaked from the rainwater that collected in her seat, she’d been pelted in the face with huge raindrops, and she could probably wring out her hair if she tried. The only upside was that Tori seemed to be equally as miserable as Jade. And, she supposed, that it had stopped raining.

Tori was right that they needed to get the top raised on the car in case it started raining again, but even so, Jade didn’t think she’d be dry before they made it home. She watched as Tori struggled to lift the top of the car herself. If she were in a better mood, she might find it amusing. Instead, it was just frustrating.

“It’s broken,” Cat reminded them.

“We know that!” Jade snapped back. At least Tori was trying to do something useful. “Does your brother have any tools in the car?”

“Maybe in the trunk,” Cat suggested. Out of all of them, Cat seemed to be taking this disaster of a trip in stride.

“Open the trunk,” Tori ordered Jade as they circled behind the car. Since Jade wanted to do it anyway, she didn’t even mind Tori’s redundant command.

When the trunk lip popped open, Jade and Tori both recoiled back, screaming. What they saw was so unexpected, they just stood there and stared, holding each other’s hand in instinctual need for support.

Tori let go a moment later, “Cat,” she asked, lifting out the object that had scared them, “What is this?” She held up a vacuum sealed bag full of what looked like prop body parts. Feet, to be specific.

“Don’t worry,” Cat assured them, completely unperturbed, “They’re not real feet.”

“But why does your brother have a bag of _fake_ feet in the trunk of his car?!” Jade realized that this was something she might normally find fascinating, in a fucked up sort of way. Maybe if her pants weren’t drenched.

“I’m not gonna lie, my brother’s pretty weird,” Cat told them, as if this was a huge revelation.

Tori was still on task with fixing this situation and grabbed the huge crowbar that sat in the bottom of the trunk. It was impressive, actually. One, that she could even pick it up and two, that she knew exactly how to use it. Jade hadn’t realized she was caught up in watching her until Tori shot her a look and said, “Help me.”

Together, they’d all three managed to pull it loose...except there was no actual top to the car. Just the frame. Which Cat found hilarious. Tori and Jade both did not. In fact, it appeared that Tori had reached her limit because she suggested they just head back home.

“Yes,” Jade agreed.

Even Cat’s tearful begging didn’t seem to be enough to sway Tori’s decision. Jade just wanted to get moving one way or the other so there would at least be an end to the evening in sight.

And that’s when Jade saw the very creepy clown. A part of her brain immediately earmarked this moment because, hello, how often do you just come across a terrifying man-clown in regular life? The other part of her realized that Tori had no idea this creep was behind her.

“Tori,” Jade said, pulling Tori out of her mini-rant about heading back home.

“What?” And then Tori spun around to be face-to-face with the clown.

This was too good. As in, it was horrifying. But she figured Tori had the crowbar over there, so she’d use it if she needed to. Though Jade also had the keys ready in her hand and nudged Cat, whispering, “Get ready to get back in.”

There was a very quiet, “Kay kay,” in response.

As soon as Tori made a break from the clown and dove into the car, Jade and Cat followed her lead with Jade gunning the accelerator and pulling away. It was a good thing he was a very slow-moving clown.

Ugh, _Slo-Motion Clown_ was _such_ a good idea for a short film.

Tori was still hyperventilating as they merged back onto the freeway. Jade thought she even heard the squish of Tori’s sweater as she slapped her hand over her chest. “Oh, chiz,” Tori panted, “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“I think I saw that guy at the special hospital where my brother had to live,” Cat said, sounding a little freaked out herself. “But we weren’t friends,” she added.

“He...I...did you see him try to grab me?” Tori asked.

By now, Jade was starting to be truly amused by the whole thing. She also thought it was ridiculous of Tori to be so freaked out. She was the one who had been ballsy enough to carry on a conversation with the thing. “He didn’t even try to grab you, Vega, he was dancing. In slow motion,” Jade scoffed.

“Jade!” Tori rounded on her, “I was _right there_ , and his hand was _inches_ from me!”

“Ah, he would’ve grabbed you if he really wanted,” Jade smirked.

“Oh, you would’ve loved that, wouldn’t you?” Tori had moved from totally freaked out to wazzed. “What would you have done if he _had_ grabbed me?” she demanded of Jade.

“You had a crowbar,” Jade pointed out.

Tori’s eyes went wide, “I left it on the ground,” she turned to Cat, “I forgot your brother’s crowbar.”

“That’s okay, he has others,” Cat replied in her normal cheerful tone. Apparently, she was already over the encounter with the clown.

“I was weaponless and in danger,” Tori scowled at Jade.

“Tori. Seriously,” Jade rolled her eyes, “Nothing was going to happen to you.”

“Yes it--”

“You really think I’d let you get clown-snatched?” Jade interrupted. “With witnesses?” she added, seeing Tori’s face soften. “We all know your dad’s a cop.”

Tori now had a smirk on her face. “You would have protected me?”

“I’m just saying I wouldn’t have passed up a chance to fight a clown, if I had to. I just...didn’t have to.”

“My brother once fought a clown--”

“ _Cat_!”

-

When they pulled up to Mona Patterson’s house, Tori was sure she’d never dry out. Even with the heater turned on, they were all still soaked to the bone. She wondered how Cat’s candle even managed light as she set up her mini-shrine on the porch of the house. Meanwhile, Tori noticed that Jade didn’t seem that excited about finally being in close proximity of a spirit.

“I thought you were all set to come and breathe in the fumes of Mona’s lingering soul,” Tori said.

“Well, it’s hard to enjoy it when my pants are soggy.”

Cat began to give a short eulogy, but she choked up in the middle of it. It was a bummer to see her friend so sad. Even Jade sounded genuine when she urged Tori to, “Go finish for her!” At least until she mocked her hesitation.

Tori sat with Cat and helped with the awkward but succinct goodbye. That is, until the front door opened and there, in the flesh, was a living Mona Patterson. She didn’t seem very happy that three strangers had shown up in her front yard, a sentiment that was punctuated by the giant water gun she used to hose them down.

It turned out she hadn’t died, at all. She’d joined the cast of “The Dead,” a new series. Cat had simply misinterpreted the headline.

They already weren’t going to get back to Los Angeles until late, but the three of them agreed to stop at an InsideOut Burger so they could get something to eat and at least attempt to dry out using the hand dryers in the bathroom.

“Go outside and make sure no one comes in here,” Jade said to Cat, who hadn’t really been interested in using the dryers because she’d either dried out faster or didn’t seem that irritated by being perpetually damp. “And listen for our order number!” Jade called as Cat closed the door behind her.

Jade slipped off her jacket and hung it over the stall door, then pulled her t-shirt up over her head then held it under the hand dryer, letting it flap in the warm air.

Tori looked down at her own clothes. Her heavy sweater probably wouldn’t even begin to dry that way, especially since she’d taken an extra hit from Mona Patterson’s water cannon. Maybe she could wring it out a little. She dragged the heavy garment up over her head and attempted to twist it over the sink. It was so bulky, it was hard to really get a good enough grip on it. Jade noticed what Tori was trying to do and wordlessly grabbed one side of the sweater and began to twist. Together they managed to wring out what seemed like a gallon of water.

After catching a glimpse of them in the mirror, Jade chuckled. “This is probably some creep’s fantasy. Two nubile young women in their bras, caught in the rain, chased by clowns.”

“Well, it’s not mine,” Tori said.

The door swung open and Jade shot daggers at whoever dared to enter while Tori squealed and crossed her arms over herself. But it was only Cat.

“Look, I bought us shirts,” she said, waving an InsideOut Burger t-shirt at each of them. “They have dancing hamburgers on them. Just like Jade used to be!” Cat laughed as she looked at the image on the shirt. “Only these have smaller boobs.”

“Ugh, they’re hideous,” Jade sneered, “Give me one.”

Tori took one, too. “Thanks, Cat.”

“In your case, that’s an improvement,” Jade said as Tori pulled the ridiculous t-shirt over her head.

“Hey!”

“What? Pink is a terrible color.”

“I happen to like that sweater,” Tori said. She sighed, “But it is still soaked.” She turned on the hand dryer again, and flipped it up to try to dry her hair. Instead, her hair ended up in her mouth. She gave up and tried to dry her jeans. It didn’t seem to be helping at all.

“Cat, did they call our number?” Jade asked. She was standing in front of a sink, trying to fix her hair. By her expression, it wasn’t going well. Tori looked helplessly into her own mirror. She didn’t think anything could be done with her own hair.

“Oh! I forgot to check.”

“Never mind, we’re done in here,” Jade said. “Right?” she asked Tori.

Tori looked down at her wet pants and looked in the mirror at her limp hair. She sighed, “Yeah, we’re done.”

“Kay kay,” Cat said.

They collected their food and got back on the road. Maybe the adrenaline was still wearing off from her encounters with the deranged clown and the hostile old actress, but Tori was ravenous, and the food was great. It seemed that Cat and Jade agreed, because aside from Jade asking Tori to pass her things, since she was driving, there wasn’t a lot of conversation as they started the journey back to LA.

When they were finished eating, Tori thought she and Cat might resume working on their science project. There wasn’t much left to do, and they would still have to finish the write up at Tori’s house, but Tori wanted to at least get some sleep tonight.

However, when she turned to talk to Cat, she realized she was asleep in the back seat, her nearly empty box of fries still in one hand. Tori turned back around, mildly disappointed. It had been a long day. Maybe a nap was a good idea.

“Tori,” Jade said.

“Yeah?”

“Is Cat asleep?” she was glancing at the rearview mirror.

“Yeah,” Tori confirmed, “Guess we’ll finish our science project later.”

“I guess you’ll also be the one who helps me stay awake, then,” Jade stated.

“Oh, um. Okay?” Tori agreed uncertainly. “What do you mean? We could sing something.”

Jade shook her head. “I’m too traumatized by this horrible night for that. Just talk to me.”

“I thought I was _boring_ ,” Tori shot back.

“I don’t care, be as boring as you want, just talk to me so I’ll stay awake and we survive our trip in this rolling chizbox from hell,” was Jade’s irritated reply.

“Right,” Tori complied. She groped for a topic, “What should we--”

Jade groaned, “Tori!”

“Okay, okay.” She thought of something, “I never got to tell you about that weird dream I had.” Already Jade was groaning in protest. “You said I could talk about anything!” Tori complained.

“I can’t think of anything I’d rather hear about _less_ ,” Jade replied.

“Oh, no, this one’s pretty weird,” Tori assured her, “So it happened after our detention. And then I couldn’t text you about it because my phone was broken. I’m pretty sure my mom’s cookie inspired it.”

Jade sighed loudly. Tori felt triumphant. At least if Jade was complaining, she’d stay awake.

“So, okay.” Tori tried to think about where to begin. “I don’t remember all the details. It’s been awhile. There was definitely a part where you were the _Wicked Witch of the West_.” Jade glanced at her, eyebrow raised, “Like, literally,” Tori clarified.

“Funny,” Jade said dryly.

“And there was this...lobster thing...that kept attacking people. And Trina got shot in the arm with an arrow, Robbie tried to kiss me, and then there was this like weird 70s game show? Like I don’t know where that came from, I think I saw something like it at my grandma’s, but--”

“Tori!”

“Okay, so anyway, I lost at the game show because none of you would help me, and we had a dance party and…” She tried to remember more. “Oh!” she said, “And then there was this weird part where you were tickling me.”

Jade’s pierced eyebrow arched again, and she turned her head to give Tori a once-over. “Like, fun tickling, or the torture kind?”

“What _kind_? There’s a difference?”

“Oh, definitely,” Jade said, very confidently.

“Uh, well…” Tori thought back to that part of the dream. All she could really remember about it was laughing uncontrollably while Jade chased her. “I think it was the fun kind,” she decided.

“Really?” Jade sounded mildly interested for the first time since Tori started talking about her dream.

“I told you it was a weird dream.”

“Yeah, it was a scream,” Jade deadpanned.

-

It was late, and Jade was finally in bed after dropping off Cat’s brother’s car at Cat’s house, dropping Tori and Cat off at Tori’s house, then going home. She couldn’t sleep, either, because her pillow was wet, because being wet and disgusting all night meant that she had to take a shower when she got home. And she couldn’t run her hairdryer, because if she woke up her mom, they would have to interact, and might have an extra fight this week. And now she was awake and wanted to be asleep, when just a few hours ago she had to listen to Tori talk about inane things to stay awake so they didn’t die on the road.

The evening had been a special sort of miserable, even with the few bright moments--Tori and the clown, for instance. Just the memory of that made Jade grin. She hoped she never forgot that little encounter as long as she lived.

This was Tori’s fault, she realized. Tori was the one who had convinced Jade to drive them in the first place, Tori who had convinced Jade to keep driving when the most logical thing would have been to turn around. And now it was Tori’s fault Jade couldn’t sleep.

Jade reached for her PearPhone.

**Are you awake?**

She wanted to do this right. She knew Tori and Cat had to finish their science project, but it was already late. Tori replied quickly enough, however.

**Yes, but I’m getting ready for bed. What’s up?**

Perfect. Jade smiled in the dark of her bedroom.

**Good. Remember this?**

Jade could see the message had been delivered, but Tori didn’t reply right away. Great, after all that, there wasn’t even a payoff. Finally, maybe five minutes later, the three dots appeared next to Tori’s name and then:

**NOT FUNNY! 😥😥😥😥😥😥**

**First, I almost dropped my new phone in the toilet**

**Wrong. That’s hilarious.**

**Second, I screamed so loud my mom came in and SHE saw the gif**

**and started talking about a date she had when that miniseries came out and it definitely wasn’t about my dad**

If Jade could relate to anything, it was parents saying or doing stuff that just felt unnecessary.

**Okay that’s kind of creepy**

**Want to know what else is creepy?**

**I’m listening**

**Mona Patterson’s house burned down!** 😶😶😶

There was no way she was serious. When they’d left, everything in that front yard had to have been soaked through.

**It did not**

**You’re lying**

**What**

**Really?????**

**http://www.sandiegoweek.ly/mona-patterson-fire **

**Chiz...does Cat know?**

**Yeah but I told her not to tell anyone**

There was no telling if Cat would actually listen. Maybe Jade would issue an extra threat about keeping her mouth shut. But, like, a friendly threat.

**Okay yeah good call**

**Take it to the grave**

**You’re so weird**

**Thanks**

🤡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from We _R Who We R_ by Kesha.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode events of:
> 
> Car, Rain, & Fire (3.05)
> 
> And references events from:
> 
>   
> April Fool's Blank (3.07)
> 
> **Next time on _Tori Vega is a Virgin Who Can't Drive_ :**
> 
>   
> Jade checked her phone. It was only just after eight. The terrible karaoke wasn’t making time move any faster. She scrolled through her phone, wondering if they should consider texting a friend for help but Jade was already the “toughest” member of their friend group. What were they going to do, ask Robbie and Rex to come and bore these man-grunches to death? She noticed Tori had updated her Slap profile about how terrible the night was going and punctuated it with a moustache emoji (she was really obsessed with that thing, to be honest). 
> 
> “Oh, hey, I can give you my number right now,” said the one who kept touching her. He reached for her phone, but she immediately moved it out of his reach. And then...then he started touching her. This creep was _tickling her chin_.


	4. Pullin' up to the parties, tryna get a little bit tipsy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: More clowns.

The rest of the week was good. For the most part. She and Jade were back to sending memes during the day, and occasionally even texting about actual things. As awful as their trip to San Diego had been, it seemed to open the door to them getting along again. Jade was still so hot and cold with her that Tori wondered if it would last this time, but she was enjoying becoming Jade’s friend. Sort of.

The only thing she didn’t like was that Jade had picked up the habit of texting her a clown image right before bed. Every night.

And it turned out, sometimes during the day.

Tori was at her locker between classes when her phone buzzed. She checked it to find a message from Jade.

Tori shrieked and instinctively threw her phone in her locker. She composed herself, and picked it back up, ready to punch out a reply, when there was a voice behind her.

“Liked that one, didn’t you?”

Tori wheeled on Jade. “Still not funny!” she shook her phone in Jade’s face.

Jade looked unimpressed, “It was hilarious from where I was standing.”

“Okay, how about this,” Tori started, desperate to stop the barrage of clowns, “I know I haven’t had a chance to watch your short film yet. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. But I _will_ watch it this weekend, and tell you about it first thing Monday, _if_ you promise no more clowns.”

Jade scowled, “You were supposed to watch my short film anyway.” Tori felt her eye twitch as she struggled to come up with a response. But evidently, Jade was feeling generous, “But sure, if it means you _finally_ tell me what you think about it.”

“All right, it’s a deal?” Tori held out her hand, offering to seal it all with a handshake.

Jade stared at it, then grabbed Tori’s hand. “Deal,” she said, eyebrow cocked.

The next night, while her parents were at a cooking class and her sister was on a date, Tori kept her word and watched the movie. She’d even popped a bag of popcorn for it, though it was only about twenty minutes long. A very disturbing twenty minutes. While it definitely made her uneasy, she thought the movie was good. Cat had played the young woman who was driven mad by a man (Robbie) dressed as Santa Claus. Even though the actors were her friends, the film was so surreal that she’d gotten lost in it.

She was curious if this was one of the projects Jade had entered in a festival and if it had won any awards. After a quick IMDb search, she found it, but no awards were listed. The real surprise was that Jade actually had quite a few writing and directing credits to her name, something Tori never knew. Probably because she’d never asked. She wondered what other cool facts she didn’t know about Jade.

That night, Tori had the most horrifying dream. It wasn’t exactly the same as the movie’s plot, but she was sure it had inspired her nightmare. Jade had been right. Tori absolutely freaked out.

On Monday morning, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to give Jade the satisfaction of knowing she’d predicted Tori’s reaction to her work. So, when Jade met her at her locker and asked what she thought, Tori said, “It was...interesting.”

Jade, who had actually been downright upbeat (well, upbeat for Jade) up until that moment, shouldered her bag and said, “Oh,” before walking away.

“Wait, I had more--”

“It’s fine,” Jade called back, not even looking at her.

Tori frowned and fished her notebook from her locker before shoving the door shut. That wasn’t how she’d wanted that to go, at all.

They’d been sitting next to each other in Sikowitz’s class the last few sessions, since Beck moved to a seat across the room, but when Tori entered the classroom, Robbie and Rex were sitting in the seat Tori had been occupying the last few days, so she just sat in her former usual spot.

Jade entered just as the bell rang and, for some reason, instead of telling Robbie to move over, she glowered at Tori. “Really?”

“What?” Tori realized they’d just left things a little awkward, but why was Jade coming after her?

“Why is your butt in my chair?”

Okay, being friends with Jade meant dealing with her varying moods. So Tori decided to push back with a little humor. “Oh, I’m not sure.” She rose and bent forward. “I guess you’ll have to speak to my butt about that.”

Jade didn’t laugh. Instead, she screamed directly at Tori’s backside. “ _GET AWAY FROM MY CHAIR._ ”

Tori sat back down. She wasn’t giving this up. “You know, we don’t have assigned seats in this class.”

“Yeah,” piped up Robbie. “We can sit anywhere we want.” Even though he was backing her up, Tori was irritated that he’d started this particular chair-fight by sitting in _her_ newly established regular seat.

Jade glared at him.

“Did you just pee a little bit?” asked Cat.

“No!” Robbie replied, a little too eager and defensive.

“Then why is my leg damp?” asked Rex.

“ _Move_ ,” demanded Jade.

Tori crossed her arms. “I will not move.” Even if Jade was genuinely wazzed off at her about something, they could just talk about it. “I’m going to sit right here and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“No?” Jade leaned down into Tori’s space and Tori’s stomach flipped a little, wondering what was about to happen.

Jade gripped Tori’s chair with both hands, one on the back and one at the front of the seat, and began to tip it backward. Tori held her resolve as she tilted, fairly certain that Jade wasn’t about to let her just crash into the ground. She hoped.

“Oh, okay. Sure fine. Do it.”

Jade was being steady and gentle even with her passive aggressive, “Good? Good.”

“This is fun!”

“You like it?” Jade asked, sarcastically.

“What a cool ceiling!”

Once Tori was actually on the floor, Jade stomped over to the seat on the other side of Robbie that _was_ her usual spot. There wasn’t even time to try and find out what Jade’s problem was, because Sikowitz marched into the room and immediately started a lesson about, “delivering bad news in a way that seems not-so-bad.”

Tori noticed Jade was finally looking at her. Glaring at her. Briefly.

Robbie was called on stage with Cat so they could sing to some kid Sikowitz brought into class. While they improvised a song to break the news about a broken go-cart, Tori tried to figure out what had set Jade off. It was obviously related to her thoughts on the movie, though she’d barely had a chance to say much. Maybe it was because she waited so long? Or maybe Jade was just having one of those weeks where she didn’t want to be friends. After two years of knowing each other, Tori had gotten used to the ebb and flow of Jade’s moods. But the last month or so where there had been some really great highs (with only one of them due to the weed cookie) only made the lows feel that much worse.

She’d kind of zoned out during the song, but she instinctively began clapping when it was over. Whatever the case, the random kid in their class seemed to like it. Until Sikowitz wheeled in a box full of busted go-cart and the boy left, dejected. What a weird lesson.

Sikowitz immediately shifted gears to his new play. Jade and Andre began arguing about who would play the lead, but it turned out they were drawing roles out of a box, anyway. Andre and Beck were playing twins. Cute. Then, after being visibly annoyed at the way their acting teacher waved the box around her head, Jade drew the role of “Nancy, loving wife of astronaut Walter Swain.” Even from two seats away, Tori could see Jade already mentally evaluating how she’d take on the role of Nancy. Robbie was next in line, but Sikowitz skipped right over him to Tori.

Tori reached in and pulled her card. “Astronaut Walter Swain, husband of…” Oh boy. “Nancy.”

Jade was clearly unhappy about it. “I’m supposed to play _her wife_?”

“I’ll just pick another card,” though Tori was almost positive the box was empty. No matter, Sikowitz was already walking away.

“No! My box has spoken!”

For the first time all class period, Jade and Tori exchanged looks. This probably wasn’t going to go well.

-

Being cast in one of Sikowitz’s plays usually improved Jade’s mood. Maybe not in a way that was perceptible to other people, but Jade enjoyed the challenge of the quick turnaround between casting and performance with a school production, she appreciated the confirmation of her talent whenever she was chosen as a performer, and she typically liked the opportunity to delve into a role, even one as silly as a “loving wife.”

Playing a “loving wife” to Tori Vega, however, was something else entirely.

If it weren’t for the fact that she was angry with Tori, this probably wouldn’t be a big deal. She would still want to torture Tori over it, because she deserved to have some joy over such a ridiculous situation, but they were both actors, capable of being professional about a role, and they knew they could work well together when it was required.

But Jade had been waiting patiently for weeks to hear what Tori thought about her movie, and it was clear that Tori hadn’t enjoyed it, but didn’t have the guts to tell her. And that had hurt Jade more than she expected. She’d warned Tori that she might not be able to handle it, but she hadn’t really expected that to be true. After all, Tori had really liked _Well Wishes_ , enough so that she had fought to help Jade put on the play exactly as she’d wanted. Jade thought that Tori might really understand what she’d been trying to do with that particular short film.

Instead, Tori had tried and failed to lie to Jade’s face about it. “Interesting” was the nicest way to say you hated something, and Jade didn’t need Tori’s condescension. It was either that, or Tori hadn’t watched it at all and was trying to make something up, which, if true, would be even more infuriating.

Tori had even tried texting Jade after class, not really saying anything beyond “Hey,” but Jade had ignored it completely. So by the time they were face to face in the hallway for the first time since being cast as spouses, it was sufficiently awkward.

Tori was looking around at anything and everything other than Jade as they approached each other, as if hoping she could get away with ignoring her completely like she had tried to get away with lying to Jade’s face about her film. But Jade wasn’t going to let that happen, and as much as she didn’t really want to be face to face with Tori, either, she approached her, glaring.

“I don’t want to be your wife in the play,” she told Tori flat out.

Tori scowled back, “Well, I don’t want to be your husband in the play,” she retorted.

“ _Oh_ ,” Jade widened her eyes for emphasis. Funny that Tori was perfectly willing to be honest about _that_.

She heard Tori mocking her “ _Oh_ ” as she walked away, but she kept moving. She’d made her point.

Normally, whenever she was irritated or angry with someone, her default coping mechanism was first to lash out then to initiate avoidance (something she learned from the family therapist when her parents divorced, despite her attempts to avoid participation). Usually, the space gave her enough time to get over whatever the problem was (unless they were serially offensive, like Sinjin) and she’d be fine. But class productions worked on a timeline of a school week to rehearse and put up the play, which meant she was working directly with Tori every single day. So, there was no breathing room for her to try and get past the fact that Tori had lied to her face. If she even wanted to get over it.

On stage, however, there wasn’t much of a problem. They were both off-book quickly, they both had a good handle on the blocking, Tori wasn’t afraid to immediately paste on a moustache or of the physicality of her narcoleptic character (even to the point of falling face-first into Jade’s chest), something Jade might compliment her on if she wasn’t still mad at her, and Jade even felt proud of herself for working so closely with Beck on stage because it was their first performance together since their break-up.

She felt like they’d done rather well, considering.

Sikowitz didn’t agree. “You girls are ruining this play.”

Jade was about to question it, but Tori got there first, “Why?”

Sikowitz dismissed Andre and Beck, then continued, “This is our fifth rehearsal and you two aren’t getting any better at playing a believable husband and wife.” He broke for a moment to yell at Burf, who Jade assumed was a raw vegan, considering he just ate (loudly, btw, which was annoying) raw vegetables all the time. “You girls meet me for dinner at Nozu. Tonight. 7:00PM.”

“But,” Tori began, “I don’t want to--”

“Nozu!”

This was ridiculous. Jade stepped in, “But why? You can’t--”

Sikowitz refused to let them speak and shouted, “See you both at Nozu at 7:00PM!” before running out of the theatre.

Jade looked at Tori, who looked back miserably, and for a brief moment, they were united in their opposition to whatever idiocy Sikowitz had cooked up.

“I’m not going,” Jade decided.

“Me neither,” Tori agreed, folding her arms.

“He can’t make us do this.”

“Yeah, what can he do, anyway?”

“It’s not like he can kick us out of the play,” Jade scoffed.

They were quiet for a moment as they both considered it.

“This is stupid,” Jade sighed.

“See you at seven,” Tori said dejectedly.

At seven o’clock, Jade was still trying to find a stupid parking space. It was Friday night in Hollywood and everything was either taken or reserved for valet. Finally, a space opened up around the corner and it was almost ten after when she strode into the restaurant. Of course Tori was already there. She’d probably had someone drop her off since she couldn’t seem to lock down her driver’s license. Jade refused to entertain the hilarious memory of Tori telling her about how she clipped the woman in the wheelchair with her bumper.

After being unnecessarily flagged down by her teacher in the small restaurant, she reluctantly walked over to the sushi bar where Tori and Sikowitz were already seated. There was no choice but to take the seat on the other side of Tori.

“Okay, I’m here. Why?” she said, sliding into the chair and crossing her arms.

“Because you two need to learn to play a husband and wife believably,” Sikowitz said.

“What does that have to do with sushi?” Tori asked. Jade was curious about the same thing.

He went into a brief (but still too long) story about preparing to play a character in great pain by throwing himself down a flight of stairs. Jade was frustrated that, somehow, all of this had managed to ruin her enjoyment of a story that should otherwise delight her.

“You wouldn’t believe how many times I hit my head.”

“Yeah, we would,” Jade countered.

“We really, really would,” echoed Tori.

“Now, to prepare for your roles, you two must date.” Jade was sure that either she’d misheard him or he was tripping on some bad coconut milk. But he was apparently serious. “So, have fun.”

“With what?” Tori asked.

“Your date.” Sikowitz rose from his chair.

Jade still couldn’t process what he was asking them to do. “What date?”

“This one.” He glanced down at a non-existent watch. “It begins now at…seven-oh-twelve pm. You two will stay here, eat, drink, chat, and giggle until the restaurant closes at midnight.”

Oh, this was some bullshit. There was no way he could force them to stay and have a stupid fake date at Nozu. “Forget it. I’m leaving.” Jade stood and reached down for her bag.

“Yep,” Tori chimed. “Me, too.” At least they were on the same page that he had lost his damn mind.

“Ah!” he exclaimed. “If either of you leave before midnight, you both get an ‘F’ for the semester.”

“Sikowitz!” Tori whined.

Typical Tori, not realizing that there was always a way around authority if you wanted to take it. “It’s fine. He’s not gonna know when we leave.”

“Oh yes he gonna!” Seriously, the man was deranged. He pointed out that Sinjin and Burf were placed on either side of the sushi bar, set to spy on them. So, not only were they being forced to spend the evening together, but they had to do it while being watched by the ultimate creepers? It was brilliant but also terrible. Jade hated it. “Happy dating,” were Sikowitz’s departing words.

Jade held Tori’s defeated gaze for a beat before they moved back toward their seats.

“Excuse me,” Tori said, waving to the sushi chef. “Yeah, my date and I were wondering if you have a flight of stairs we could throw ourselves down.”

It might’ve been funny if Jade weren’t so horrified.

-

The sushi chef gave them a concerned look but turned away to help other customers. “Okay, here’s the deal,” Jade said, “We order something, we don’t talk, and we wait out Sinjin and Burf.”

“What?” Tori asked. She was still reeling from the surprise date her acting teacher had engineered between herself and her frien..d..emy? Really, she wasn’t sure where Jade fell, at this point. Okay, she knew they weren’t enemies, but they certainly weren’t talking.

But it did seem Jade was willing to work together to get out of this. “Just because he wants us to be on a date doesn’t mean we have to participate. And there’s no way Sinjin and Burf will last five hours here. Especially if we’re boring. When they leave, we leave.”

Tori nodded slowly, “Okay. That might work.”

“Of course it’ll work,” Jade growled.

The sushi chef turned to take their order. Jade hadn’t looked at the menu, but she immediately demanded, “A bowl of rice and some water.” At Tori’s questioning look, she said, “I refuse to enjoy myself.”

Even though this entire night was not what she’d expected, planned, or wanted, she had been daydreaming about sushi ever since Sikowitz had mentioned Nozu. “Are you sure you don’t want to split a sushi platter?”

“What part of ‘we don’t talk’ is difficult for you?”

“Fine. Chiz. I was just asking.” Tori asked the chef for a Miso Hungry Roll and a bowl of soup. Unlike Jade, Tori was determined to make the best of the situation.

It wasn’t easy, though. While they waited for the food to arrive, they both checked their phones. Tori considered updating her Slap status to reflect her misery, but worried it would just cause conflict with Jade. And at least now, in the silence, they weren’t fighting.

Until Tori apparently slurped her soup too loudly (it was _really_ good) and Jade shouted, “No!” Tori took one last purposeful slurp before setting the bowl down.

“Worst night ever,” complained Jade.

“Oh, you think I’m having fun on this,” Tori air-quoted the next word, “date? Because I’m not.” At this point, Jade was really getting to her. As if they weren’t both having a lousy time.

“Then let’s not talk!”

“Fine.” But then Tori felt like she needed to speak up for herself. “You know--”

“Ugh!” groaned Jade.

“There is no good reason why you and I shouldn’t be able to _sit here_ together and have a conversation.” They’d already proven this was possible and, as far as Tori had been concerned, they were better for it.

“I’ve got a good reason.”

“Which is?”

“I _don’t_ _like_ you.”

It hurt to hear, more so because Tori knew this was Jade falling back on old habits. If she constantly reminded Tori she didn’t like her, then there wouldn’t be pressure to be friends. While it did make their better moments seem to stand out, their more recent interactions seemed to expose how superficial Jade’s dislike of her truly was. It was time to stop letting her pull this crap.

“Really?” challenged Tori. “You can’t think of _one_ thing that you like about me?” There was at least one thing Tori could think of that Jade had complimented her on fairly recently (see: kissing).

“I like when you’re sad,” Jade said, almost too sincerely.

Fortunately, Tori was starting to fume in frustration, so there was no sadness to bring Jade pleasure. “Okay, try again.” If Jade wanted to play it this way, Tori was game. And kind of furious. “Reach deep down into your twisted, bitter soul and see if you can find anything nice to say about me.”

“Uh, okay.” Maybe it was because Jade probably considered bitter and twisted to be compliments, but after some hesitation she came up with, “Your singing isn’t awful.”

Not great, but not an insult. “Thanks so much.”

“Now let’s hear you say something nice about me.”

Chiz. “Sure.” Tori sipped her green tea, then replied, “I admire how you’re never afraid to say what you think.”

“That’s stupid!”

“See?!” At least they were passing the time. Tori felt some vindication having won Jade over into a conversation, as minimal as it was. “Now your turn again.”

“Uh,” Jade poked at her bowl of rice, staring off into space, as if thinking of one other not terrible thing about Tori Vega was the most difficult task in the universe. “I guess...some people...might say that...from certain angles…you’re pretty.”

Wait. Had that been an actual nice thing that just came out of Jade’s mouth? About Tori? On the list of things Tori had been expecting, Jade calling her pretty was far down on the list.

“You could say I’m pretty,” Jade quipped.

Tori knew it was probably just a bit of sarcasm, but she definitely had an opinion on this. “You are pretty.”

-

The genuine compliment from Tori, so freely given, was so unexpected that Jade forgot how miserable she was. She turned to stare at Tori, surprised and a little awed. Tori smiled awkwardly, affirming her truthfulness, and Jade had to look away. Even though she’d given compliments through her teeth, compliments so clouded with deflection and indirection they’d barely counted, Tori had offered this up as if it were obvious, heartfelt. And people didn’t just call Jade pretty, at least not without pairing it with something like weird, or scary, or freaky. She never considered those sorts of modifiers to be anything other than complimentary, but she’d also never known what it felt like to be simply called _pretty_ , especially not from someone like Tori Vega, the sort of girl with the sort of cheekbones that made people offer up that sort of compliment, unmodified, all the time.

Jade focused on her next bite of rice, unable to look at Tori. The moment that had passed between them felt significant, and Jade didn’t know if it would be better to acknowledge it or let it pass. Either way, something about this date had changed, and Jade was feeling vulnerable, and without her usual defenses to combat it. She didn’t know how she would revert them to the bitter, stony silence she had been struggling to maintain before, and she also didn’t know if she wanted to. She had even noticed that Tori had dropped her sushi, catching it in her other hand, and couldn’t even come up with anything scathing to say about it.

But just as the silence began to stretch, two guys shattered it, as violently and stupidly as two imbeciles possibly could, by screaming “Babe sandwich!” and shoving from both directions, squishing Tori and Jade together between them.

If there was one thing Jade hated--and there was never just one--it was strangers touching her without her permission. Or acquaintances. Or friends. Really, the list of people whose touch she didn’t recoil from would fit on one hand. And she’d been dating Beck for so long, and she’d worked hard to cultivate her dangerous exterior, that it wasn’t often that guys tried to pull this kind of shit with her.

“And this night actually gets worse,” she observed.

“Guys,” Tori began, still working on eating that ridiculous piece of sushi. “We really want to hang out _alone_.”

“We are alone,” said goon number one.

His idiot friend indicated to the group of them. “Just the four of us.”

As the two wazz-bags continued their imbecilic attempt at hitting on them, Jade found herself additionally annoyed that Tori’s request to be left alone had been blown off. They actually _were_ on a date. And she was certain that had she been here with Beck, these two chizboxes wouldn’t have given her a second glance. Jade didn’t usually consider concepts like fairness, because she had learned very young that nothing was ever fair, but this scenario seemed so lopsided that it made her stomach clench in frustration.

“Oh my god,” Tori and Jade uttered, in unison. They continued to be harrassed by the stupidest attempt at a come-on line, one that included the word, “infection,” which didn’t conjure up anything pleasant when considering whether or not to hook up with someone. And, usually, infections were something that Jade _liked_ to look at.

One of them kept trying to put his arm around her and it took every ounce of Jade’s being not to stab him in the eyes with her chopsticks and, instead, she continued to shrug him off. The only thing really preventing her from committing homicide was the fact that, if she were arrested, it would be before midnight, and Sikowitz would fail them both for the semester.

She also had an eye on the guy who was in Tori’s face. So far, he seemed to be keeping his hands to himself. Jade was pretty sure Tori “Talker-to-Clowns” Vega could handle herself, but Jade was willing to provide backup, if needed. Maybe if they were arrested together, they could claim it was an extension of the date and Sikowitz could let an early departure slide.

Jade checked her phone. It was only just after eight. The terrible karaoke wasn’t making time move any faster. She scrolled through her phone, wondering if they should consider texting a friend for help but Jade was already the “toughest” member of their friend group. What were they going to do, ask Robbie and Rex to come and bore these man-grunches to death? She noticed Tori had updated her Slap profile about how terrible the night was going and punctuated it with a moustache emoji (she was really obsessed with that thing, to be honest).

“Oh, hey, I can give you my number right now,” said the one who kept touching her. He reached for her phone, but she immediately moved it out of his reach. And then...then he started touching her. This creep was tickling her chin.

Jade stared intensely at the wall on the other side of the restaurant, willing her mind to astral project out of her body. She used to try it when she was younger and her parents were fighting. It never worked. Maybe this time, though...No. It wasn’t working. She didn’t have to put up with this. Time for the old trusty elbow to the gut. The second she made contact, the jerk doubled over. Jade felt much better. Until he opened his mouth again, asking where they went to school.

“Hollywood Arts,” Jade said, putting some authority on it. Maybe it would intimidate them. Or...maybe it would make them annoyingly ask for a song.

Specifically “a little songy-song action.”

It made Jade want to puke. But, hey, if they were singing, they were away from these jokers.

“They want to hear a little songy-song action,” Jade said to Tori, hoping she’d pick up the cue to get up from their seats.

“Okay,” Tori agreed, smiling mischievously. “We’ll sing you a song.”

Quickly, they rose and moved for the karaoke DJ. He was technically on a break, but Jade didn’t have time for that. “Your break’s over.”

He didn’t appear to mind and asked what song they wanted. Tori ran her finger down the page of the songbook. Jade saw where it landed and was pleased that they’d both been thinking of the same song.

-

When their final, sustained note of “Take a Hint” faded to the enthusiastic applause of the patrons of Nozu, Tori was alive from the rush that only performing could provide. And in her opinion, it had been a fantastic performance. She and Jade had been amazingly in sync, following the harmony patterns and line trading off they’d established weeks ago in detention, and with the energy the stage imbued in them, they’d sounded incredible. They poured themselves into the music, letting it be a vessel for all their frustration at the male interlopers who’d interrupted their date, for all the tension that had been building between them all week. As they headed back to their seat, weaving through the people still applauding for them, Tori was absolutely invigorated.

“That was amazing!” Tori gushed. Performing had brought out Jade’s smile as well, and it lingered as they took their seats once again. Tori leaned toward her, “You sounded incredible,” she told her.

“You just want me to tell you you’re not awful, again,” Jade said. But she was actually smiling. “It _was_ pretty damn good.”

The loser guys were finally gone and now the sushi chef was placing a fresh platter of sushi in front of them. “Compliments of the house. For such a good show.”

Tori looked to Jade who actually appeared to be...happy? Or, at least, not miserable.

“Are you willing to eat something now?”

“I was eating that rice just fine,” but Jade’s eyes were ogling the sushi. “But maybe I’m hungrier after singing.”

Tori didn’t want to say _I told you so_ about sharing a platter of sushi, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t thinking it. Still, it was a small victory, especially compared to the greater excitement that was the fact that she and Jade were talking now, and Jade’s sour mood seemed to have lifted a little.

“So, what do you really think about my movie?” Jade asked between sushi bites. There was a mild edge to the question that Tori didn’t quite understand.

“I was trying to tell you that!” Tori groaned, though she turned more toward Jade, eager to finally discuss the topic that she thought they were supposed to talk about at the beginning of the week.

Jade raised her eyebrow in return, “So you have more to say than ‘interesting’?” she challenged.

“I do,” Tori told her, “it really freaked me out.”

“I _told_ you,” Jade guffawed through her sushi.

“Come on, let me finish!” Tori pleaded. Jade waved her hand, signaling for her to continue. “I thought it was great. The dialogue was so good. The camera was always somewhere I didn’t expect and Cat’s performance combined with the story literally gave me a nightmare.”

“It did?” Jade asked, sounding hopeful.

“Yes!”

“Tell me about it.”

“Don’t you want to talk more about the movie?”

“Nah, any more than that and I’ll think you’re just hitting on me.” Jade smirked before reaching for another piece of sushi.

“You know, not everyone is trying to…” Tori wasn’t sure what point she wanted to make so she started in on the dream. “So, there was this weird new girl at school named Ponnie--”

“Bonnie?”

“NO! But that kept happening in the dream, too.”

“Wow, a real nail-biter.”

“Maybe the part where you had no eyebrows will interest you.”

“Were they burned off?” Jade asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

“No, Cat did it by accident and you kept chasing her through the school until you finally caught her sleeping and shaved her head.”

“So, you had this whole subplot about me in your Bonnie dream?”

“ _Ponnie_! And she was, like, stalking me and she had this doll of me...actually, you were really into that…”

“What kind of doll? Like a sex doll?” Jade smirked.

“No!” Tori glanced around, wondering if anyone heard. “Like a regular _doll_ doll.”

“Okay, at least we’re getting closer to creepy with the dolls.” Jade perked up. “Oh, were there any clowns?”

“Do you want to hear about this nightmare or not? Wait, why would dream-you be interested in a sex doll?”

“You’re keeping me in suspense,” Jade said, sounding annoyed.

“Anyway, she was stalking me all the time and no one believed me and then it turned out she was actually a former student named Fawn Leibowitz.”

Jade dropped her chopsticks. “Wait. You said _Fawn_ Leibowitz?”

“Yeah…” A chill crept up Tori’s spine because she had a feeling she knew what Jade was about to tell her. “Why?”

“Fawn Leibowitz used to go to Hollywood Arts.”

“Really?”

Jade was quiet a moment, then shook her head. “No. I’ve literally never heard of anyone with that name.”

It took Tori a second to register that Jade had tricked her. “Jade! That’s _so_ not funny.”

“You’re always _so_ wrong about this.”

Tori fought the urge to laugh and lost.

They settled into an easy silence, both working on the sushi platter. Tori was still riding the lingering high from an extremely enjoyable performance, and maybe it was this that gave her the nerve to ask something personal.

“Can I ask you something?” Even so, she wasn’t going to ask out of nowhere.

Jade looked over at her, her eyebrow quirked again. “You can ask,” she replied, “Doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

“Your tattoo,” Tori gestured at Jade’s right arm, “What does it mean? And how did you get it?” That was something she’d really wondered, since Jade had it when they first met and she was still currently only seventeen.

Jade glanced at her arm, though her sleeve covered the tattoo. “It’s a nautical star,” Jade explained, “Cat’s brother did it for me.”

“Cat’s _brother_?” Tori was alarmed. She’d never met him, but everything Cat said had given her the impression that he wasn’t someone you’d want to stick a needle in you.

“He’s actually a pretty incredible artist when he’s medicated,” Jade said.

“That’s...shocking, but okay.”

Jade pulled her sleeve up enough to expose the ink. “When my parents split up, I realized I didn’t have any actual parental guidance, so I wanted something that reminded me to take care of myself.”

That was deeper than Tori expected. Then again, Jade was a well of mystery. “Did it hurt?”

“Of course it hurt. Getting a tattoo is literally a needle stabbing you like a thousand times.”

“But you probably liked it.”

Jade made a face at her to suggest, ‘ _yeah, dingus_.’ “You’d probably like it when it stopped.”

Tori hummed in agreement and turned her attention back to her iced green tea. The conversation fell to a lull, and while it still wasn’t the tense silence of earlier in the night, Tori was groping for something else to talk about. “Want to get dessert?” she finally suggested, “I’ll buy.”

“Well, heavens,” Jade had slipped into her mocking Sweet Sally Peaches voices, flipping her hair, “Between all the flattery and the dessert, you must really be hoping for a good night kiss.”

“I don’t talk like that!” Tori’s standard retort came automatically, “And if we’re going to be here for another few hours, we might as well enjoy it. Do you want dessert or not?”

“Fine,” Jade agreed, “But you’re not paying.”

“Watch me,” Tori narrowed her eyes at Jade. She raised her hand to get the sushi chef’s attention, “Excuse me,” she said when he saw her, “We’re going to need separate checks, and I want to order dessert on my check.”

“Separate checks?” the sushi chef frowned, “No, you two are on the Sikowitz tab.”

“We...wait, what?”

“Yes, he was very clear on that.”

Tori looked at Jade. Jade was positively delighted. “I’m going to need to see that menu again,” Jade demanded.

They pored over the dessert section of the menu together. “Should we get the tempura ice cream?” Tori suggested, “Or the green tea ice cream?”

“Why are we even making a choice here?” Jade asked fiercely, “We’re not paying, and Sikowitz has earned this. We’re getting both.” She nodded to the sushi chef as she said it, and he nodded back.

Tori had never ordered either dessert, but it turned out they were pretty easy to share. The tempura fried ice cream was contained in its pastry shell, and the green tea ice cream turned out to be mochi, so they cut them both in half. Tori realized they could have just ordered two of each, but she supposed they could give Sikowitz a little mercy. He was an educator, after all.

After they polished off the dessert, Tori considered why Sikowitz had even made them spend five hours of their evening together--and there were still a few hours left. As irritated as she still was to be forced to do this, she had to admit that maybe he was onto something. They were getting along better than ever, at least without the help of cannabis cookies.

But Tori wasn’t convinced it would help their performance. They were both professional, and took their roles seriously onstage. They’d worked together before--had even briefly played spouses before in an acting exercise in class without issue. Even back when all she knew about Jade was that she was mean, Tori had managed to successfully perform with her. And now, Tori felt she was embodying Walter quite well--the mustache helped with that, she had to admit. But when it came time to deliver her final few lines to Nancy, it just...fizzled, and Tori didn’t know why.

Well. it was why they were here, after all.

“Why do you think we’re having so much trouble at the end of the play?” she asked Jade directly.

-

The question wasn’t really unexpected, but it wasn’t one Jade knew how to answer right away. Even though Jade had been striving to be professional when working, she could sense that nothing was landing right between them. Her instinct had been to blame Tori, but she knew it was a problem between the two of them.

Now that Tori had cleared the air about her movie, Jade was feeling a lot better about her interactions with Tori, at least personally. But she didn’t know if that alone would be enough to translate to a married couple onstage.

“I don’t know,” Jade answered honestly, “But we’re definitely missing something that makes us seem married.” Tori opened her mouth, and Jade cut her off, “Don’t ask me what. My parents’ marriage was a nightmare, and not the fun kind, so I don’t have any sort of baseline for this.”

Tori nodded, “Remind me to ask you what a ‘fun’ nightmare is,” she sounded heavily skeptical, then turned thoughtful. “I mean, I think my parents’ marriage is pretty happy, but…” she shuddered slightly, her expression turning deeply uncomfortable.

“What?” Jade asked, already keenly interested in whatever was distressing Tori.

“Uh, in that nightmare, that your movie gave me, there was definitely a part where my mom was having an affair with my dad’s police partner, and...I’m not entirely sure that it was based on nothing.”

“Oh, this is too good,” Jade leaned forward, “Tell me everything.”

Tori shook her head, “There’s not really anything specific to tell, it’s just a feeling I get. And I _really_ don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Jade was disappointed, but understood not wanting to discuss terrible parental drama. “Okay,” she agreed, “So neither of us have a _great_ idea of how to act like married people. What can we do to improve?”

Tori shrugged, “Maybe we can look at other actors as examples. Like, what are some of the most epic love stories out there?”

Jade thought about it, but before she even started naming any, it occurred to her what was missing, “They all have the climactic kiss,” she realized aloud.

Tori went still for a brief moment, but then her eyes were wide, “You’re right! And we don’t have that.” She got out her PearPhone, “What if we found the right cinematic kiss for Walter and Nancy? Do you think Sikowitz would let us add it in?”

Jade shrugged, but the idea was kind of interesting, “I’m not convinced it’ll work, but also, he can’t exactly stop us if _we_ want to add it in.”

Tori pointed at her in acknowledgement, still looking at her PearPhone. “True. Okay, so, some top movie kisses.”

“You had to search that? Please. _Gone with the Wind. Spiderman. Cruel Intentions._ Uh, _Titanic_. _Vertigo_.”

“Eww,” Tori protested, “Not _Vertigo_. I don’t like the way Jimmy Stewart kisses. He looks like he’s trying to push her over with just his lips.”

“They all kissed like that back then,” Jade said.

“Who told you that, one of your old-timey spirit friends?” Tori shot back. “Um, _Lady and the Tramp_?” she suggested uncertainly, still looking at her phone.

“Cute,” Jade snorted, “But also disgusting. Why would you kiss someone with a mouthful of spaghetti?”

Tori laughed. “Yeah, that is pretty gross.” She was still looking at her phone, “Oh, _Brokeback Mountain_ is amazing, but that’s...a little intense for Walter and Nancy.”

“Yeah, I’m not mounting you onstage,” Jade deadpanned.

Tori put her phone down, “ _Casablanca_ is about the only other one that you haven’t already named.” She looked mildly impressed. “So, okay…”

“We can rule out _Spiderman_ ,” Jade started, “Since neither of us will be upside down.”

Tori chuckled at that, “Yeah, I’m not sure anyone is going to be using the stage wires for awhile, anyway, after what happened to Trina.”

-

Jade smiled. “Over a hundred thousand views and still counting. The ad click revenue on that video just might pay for college.”

“You’re monetizing my sister’s accident?”

“You’re just mad you didn’t think of it. Come on, we have to figure this out.”

Tori side-eyed Jade before she looked back down at her phone. “ _Titanic_ is kind of too epic for Nancy and Walter.”

“Oh, come on. He’s an _astronaut_!” Jade’s voice lilted the same way it did when she said a similar line in the play. “But maybe you’re right. _Gone with the Wind_? It’s got a moustache.”

Tori considered it. “It’s so dramatic. And also, doesn’t he like carry her upstairs against her will?”

“It’s kind of a pretty ganked up movie, to be honest. But you might be onto something with the classic film stuff. Barring any Jimmy Stewart.”

“So we’re just skipping _Cruel Intentions_?” Tori asked.

Jade’s eyebrow elevated. “Isn’t that what we did in the library?”

Tori could feel her ears warming up. This was the first time they’d ever talked about it. “Okay, we did not have nearly that much spit.”

“You two were way better than that movie,” came Sinjin’s voice from behind them.

“Go awa-- _WHAT?_ ” Jade was already turned around and wrapping her fist in the collar of his shirt.

“Jade. Please don’t kill him. He has to run cues for our show.”

“Yeah, you need me,” Sinjin added.

“You’re lucky my date asked me nicely,” Jade said, releasing him. “Now go aw--”

“ _Away_ , I know.” Sinjin slinked to his table.

A smile spread across her face. Jade brow creased at the sight of it. “What?”

“You called me your _da-ate_ ,” Tori said, wiggling her shoulders.

Jade rolled her eyes, but it read more amused than annoyed. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? And you did it first.”

They resumed their character study of Walter and Nancy, determining where they thought they’d met (a country western bar), where they’d married (Niagara Falls), and the paternity of the twins (Walter is, in fact, the father). This really was the kind of work they could have been doing all week, if they’d been communicating. Maybe Sikowitz was actually onto something.

“I have to say,” Tori thoughtfully sipped her glass of water (she’d switched a while ago because she’d started buzzing from too much green tea), “this night ended up way better than I ever thought it would.”

“Don’t start getting all mushy on me,” Jade replied. “But…yeah. It wasn’t the worst.”

Tori noticed the staff had already begun to clean up behind the sushi bar. It had been a while since she’d checked the time because they’d been caught up in the Swain Saga, but when she looked at her phone, it was 11:55PM.

“Hey,” she said, showing Jade the time. “We’re done.”

“I guess we made it. Finally.”

“Oh, chiz--” Tori realized she’d never arranged for a ride home. When she’d been dropped off, she’d told Trina she’d text her for a ride later, assuming she’d only be there for maybe an hour. By now, Trina was either asleep or in the middle of some weird beauty regimen. Her mom might still be up, but there was no guarantee. And her dad was working.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have a ride home. I didn’t expect--”

“--to be held hostage in the sushi bar, yeah. Me either.”

“Would you be able--”

“No, you have to sleep here. That booth in the back looks cozy.” Tori actually turned to look, but Jade lightly smacked her arm. “Yes, I’ll give you a ride. I’m feeling generous, probably because I’m on a sushi high.”

“You really need to stop getting high all the time,” Tori teased.

“You do notice it only ever happens when I’m with you, right?” Tori faltered as she gathered her purse and made sure everything was in it. Jade was already striding toward the door. “You coming?”

“Yeah, hang on.”

They stopped at the door, watching the clock on Tori’s phone. They weren’t about to lose all their credit based on a technicality, so the moment the numbers rolled over to 12:00, they were out the door, with Jade shooting a parting “wazz-bags” at Sinjin and Burf on the way out, who still watched them through their binoculars.

They walked down and around the block to Jade’s car, Jade slipping onto the street to slide into the driver’s side. Tori waited, glancing around nervously, pulling on the door handle to the passenger’s side, but it was still locked. She knocked gently on the window.

The window rolled down. Jade was smirking at her. “I’ll unlock the door, but first you have to say that you’re a virgin who can’t drive.” Her voice slipped into an accent at the end of her statement.

“...what?” Tori asked, more thrown than anything else.

“Oh, come on. You _have_ seen _Clueless_ , haven’t you?”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Tori said, and then she placed the reference. “Oh.”

Jade groaned and rolled her eyes, and Tori heard the car door unlock. She slid into the seat. “How do you make it so not worth it to make fun of you sometimes?” Jade griped.

Tori shrugged, “I mean, it’s true,” she admitted, “But I don’t really think it’s anything to be ashamed of.”

“You notice only virgins say that, right?” Jade snarked.

Tori didn’t have a good response to that. “Well, I guess since you’re not--”

“How do _you_ know?” Jade asked dangerously.

“Well, I mean, you’re _driving_ ,” Tori pointed out, “And I always assumed that you and Beck--”

“Yes, it was fine, he’s very nice, and I’d rather not talk about my sex life with my ex-boyfriend.”

That was fair, and also Tori felt it was fair that she’d managed to pry that much out of Jade, who had correctly intuited her virginity. She steered them into safer waters. “So, Walter and Nancy--”

“Nancy’s a top,” Jade said without hesitation. Tori’s jaw fell open. That wasn’t what she was about to ask at all, “Because Walter sometimes falls asleep during.”

“That...makes sense,” Tori said faintly. She looked out the window, positive she was blushing. “Okay, so, should we run our lines? Maybe see if we’ve improved and try to figure out what kind of cinematic kiss might work?”

“Sure,” Jade agreed.

“Nancy, boys, I’m home,” Tori started, slipping into her masculine voice. It was actually a little harder without the mustache.

They went through their lines, having to restart at least once because Jade’s impersonations of Andre and Beck playing the twins brought Tori to near-hysterics. It must’ve been the late hour and all the green tea.

“You’re so good. Gentle,” Tori said her line as Jade pulled into her driveway. “How can you love a sleepy loser like me?”

Jade put the car in park and pulled the parking brake. “You’re no sleepy loser,” she delivered her line softly, with conviction, “You’re an astronaut.”

Tori smiled at her over the center console of the car. “I love you,” she said gruffly.

“And I love _you_ ,” Jade replied.

They both paused, and then were leaning into each other, heads tilting. They pressed their lips together, Tori’s hand finding Jade’s jaw, in a dramatic close-mouthed kiss to rival _Casablanca_.

They pulled apart moments later. Jade was nodding thoughtfully. “Not bad,” she said, “Our lines are going better.”

“They are,” agreed Tori, “I don’t know if the kiss was right, though.”

“Yeah, me neither. Let’s try again, from ‘Blast-off.’”

“Sure,” Tori agreed, straightening her shoulders and composing herself before launching back into her lines.

This time, it was much subtler, a soft peck, then another.

“What, are you trying to make out with your grandma?” asked Jade.

Tori frowned. “What? Ew!”

“Well, it’s not working.”

“What do you suggest, then?”

“Maybe I should slap you, first,” considered Jade.

“Why would Nancy slap Walter? They have a gentle love.”

“Is that why he falls asleep during sex?”

“He has _narcolepsy_!”

“Hey,” Jade realized, “maybe she slaps him because he’s about to fall asleep again.”

“Fine. But _not_ hard.”

Jade seemed to pout at the instruction, but agreed. “Okay, how’s this?” She firmly patted Tori’s face.

“You could go a little harder.” Tori braced herself for Jade’s hand, then flinched. “But not too much!”

“I’m not going to hurt you, Vega,” Jade promised, though she sounded slightly annoyed.

“Okay. Sorry. Wait. Okay, now.”

Jade swung her hand through the air and pulled the force at the last moment, only making contact slightly more than the first time. Tori took the cue and whipped her head to the side. It was effective enough that Jade laughed. “Okay, let’s try it with the lines.” She softened her voice to Nancy’s tone. “You’re no sleepy loser. You’re an _astronaut_.”

“I love you.”

“And I love you.” Tori dipped her head as if drifting back off ready for Jade’s hand to connect. The slap went as expected, though maybe a little harder than they’d practiced.

But then Jade scared the living chiz out of her by also screaming, “ _WALTER, WAKE UP_!”

Tori flew back against the car door, her heart racing. “ _Why_ did you do that?”

“I was trying to be realistic.” Jade bit at her lips, obviously trying to hold back laughter.

“You can’t adlib a scream _in my face_.” But Jade’s amusement over the moment was contagious and Tori found herself rumbling with laughter.

“Be serious!” Jade demanded, but even she couldn’t keep from chuckling.

“Okay,” Tori cleared her throat. “Okay, let’s try again, without the screaming.”

“Nancy is a passionate woman.” Again, Jade tried to tamp it down, but it was still so funny. Every time either of them tried to begin their line, one of them would laugh.

“We have to get this!” Tori took a few deep breaths, trying to keep the giggles at bay. She felt maybe recentered enough to try again.

Jade nodded, closed her eyes for a moment, then refocused on Tori. “You’re no sleepy loser. You’re an _astronaut_.”

“I love you.”

“And I love _you_.”

Apparently, Jade forgot about the slap, because she moved right in for the kiss, which caught Tori off-guard. She’d been bracing for a slap (and possibly having Jade scream in her ear, again) and, instead, Jade’s very warm, very soft lips were back on hers. The surprise of it knocked Tori completely out of her Walter headspace, or maybe it was just that it was so reminiscent of their kiss in the library, slow and sensual.

But much shorter. Jade pulled away mere moments later, but neither of them moved otherwise, still leaning over the center console. “I guess we don’t need the slap,” Tori said, a little dazed.

“Guess not,” Jade agreed, then her eyes seemed to look past Tori. “Uh, is that your mom?”

Tori whipped her head around and stifled a groan, because her mom was standing on the front patio, looking at Jade’s car curiously. “Yeah, that’s her. I...I better go.”

“Sure,” Jade said easily, “Good night, Walter,” she slipped into her Nancy voice.

“Good night, Nancy,” Tori replied in kind. She paused briefly, because a good night kiss would be in character, right? But then she was opening the door and stepping out of Jade’s car.

“I guess that flattery and dessert did pay off,” but now Jade wasn’t using the Nancy voice, it was Sweet Sally Peaches.

“I don’t talk like that!” Tori countered before shutting the door. But...had it? Was that a character kiss or…uh, maybe this was something to think about at a time when her mother wasn’t right in front of her. “Hi. I’m home.”

“I didn’t realize you had a date tonight.”

Tori cast a glance over her shoulder at Jade pulling back out of the driveway. “Oh, uh. I didn’t, either.” Crap. Had her mom seen them kissing? That would be so embarrassing.

“Okay, well, I’m going to bed. Goodnight!” Holly said, as they entered the house. “Please lock up.”

Tori absently complied with her mom’s request, locking the front door and checking to make sure the door to the patio was also locked. She was lost in her head, thinking about the last five hours, when she and Jade had gone from barely talking to kissing in her driveway. All in the name of art. Right? It had happened under the guise of Walter and Nancy, so it wasn’t personal. _Right?_ Tori didn’t know what to think as she climbed the stairs toward her bedroom. Even since upgrading her PearPhone, she’d made the conscious decision to not take her phone into the bathroom, so it wasn’t until she finally settled into bed that she checked her messages.

There was a new Slap update from Jade:

**WALTER, WAKE UP! @ToriVega**

**Feeling: Slap-Happy** ✋

It didn’t really clear up any of Tori’s questions, but it had her laughing to herself as she fell asleep.

-

Jade was up for another hour after she’d gotten home. Probably all the protein in the sushi. Maybe even a little adrenaline from the night she’d had. Putting those wazz-bag chiz-heads in their place with that performance had been incredibly satisfying. Hanging out with Tori for the remainder of the evening had also been not terrible. Okay, maybe even great. It was cool to be working with someone who took acting seriously, as the students at Hollywood Arts could sometimes be hit-or-miss. This was the first time she and Tori had directly played off of each other for an actual show and, to be honest, she felt better about it than just about any other performance. Though, maybe that also had something to do with being upperclassmen and having experience. Maybe it also had something to do with their extra effort. And maybe the kissing.

The first few kisses had been completely silly, no more interesting than the average stage kiss. But that last one had been different. Jade had still been in character when she decided against slapping Walter--Nancy had decided it wasn’t the right move, Nancy had moved in for the kiss instead. But as for the kiss itself, the line was much blurrier. Maybe because it had felt so much like the kiss in the library. Maybe the fact that they’d talked about that kiss earlier in the night, maybe it had been on Jade’s mind. She hadn’t specifically wanted a repeat of it, at least she didn’t think so, but now that it had happened twice, she had to admit that she kind of liked kissing Tori.

But that wasn’t an entirely new revelation. Jade already knew she liked kissing girls. Or...she’d liked it the one time it happened and had entertained the idea on other occasions. She was open to it, was the point. And she already knew the kiss in the library had been good. But with two kisses down, Jade was starting to anticipate there being a third, and that felt like a dangerous ledge to creep up to.

Jade woke up the next day actually feeling almost cheerful, even before her coffee, and that was deeply disturbing. It was going to be a weird day.

But of course it was going to be a weird day, because their performance was that evening. Jade chalked it up to performance eagerness, because she didn’t get jitters. Still, she spent a few hours of her afternoon relaxing and watching videos of surgeries before heading over to the school to get ready for the play that evening.

She and Tori had been texting a little bit through the day, but it sounded like the Vegas were the kind of family that actually spent some kind of quality time together because Tori would say things like, “Back in a bit, have to do my Saturday Wii workout with my mom” and “My dad needs my help updating his PearPhone.” On any other day before now, Jade would probably find this completely disgusting (she still did, in theory) but now that she and Tori were sort of friends, it was...less disgusting.

Anyway, they hadn’t decided whether or not they wanted to include the kiss in the play by the time they arrived at the theater.

“I feel like it could be a great way to close the show but we didn’t really rehearse it,” was Jade’s opinion. “Well, not in front of everyone, I mean.”

“Yeah...I don’t know. Maybe we just see how the show goes? Let Walter and Nancy decide?”

That was what Jade thought they were doing last night and it hadn’t quite worked out that way. But maybe being in costume and in front of fifty people would help. “I don’t see why not.”

“Okay,” agreed Tori. “Is my moustache on straight?”

Jade surveyed the fake facial hair. “Yes. Though we’re still over an hour from curtain, I don’t know why that’s the first thing you put on.”

“It helps me connect with Walter!”

Jade really couldn’t argue with that. Sometimes it was shoes that grounded a character, other times a specific piece of wardrobe (Nancy’s apron had been her connecting point), Andre and Beck were doing a mirror exercise to keep their twin characters sharp, and so it appeared that Tori’s inspiration was the stupid moustache.

Once they were in costume, Tori wanted to run their lines, one last time. As they did, Jade decided Nancy was the kind of wife who picked the lint off her husband’s uniform, so she began doing exactly that, then moved on to straightening the pins on the jacket. She looked at Tori as Walter through Nancy’s eyes and tried to decide what might happen at the end of the show. Maybe they would kiss. Maybe not. But maybe they would.

The play was going very well. Jade was riding high on a seamless performance. There was always some snag in any play, but Jade thought this might be one of the rare ones where everything went right. As the final scene progressed, she felt connected to Walter, as Nancy, and she knew that the audience felt it, too. After a week of flat interactions, they were nailing their final moment together.

“You’re so good. Gentle,” Walter told her, “How can you love a sleepy loser like me?” He hung his head, dejected.

“You’re no sleepy loser,” Nancy assured him, lovingly, patiently, “You’re an _astronaut_.”

Walter’s expression softened, “I love you,” he said.

“I love you,” Nancy replied encouragingly.

Jade was already looking into Tori’s eyes, and in the split second after her line was delivered, she could read the hesitation there. Jade knew what to do, and she moved in for the hug. Tori followed her lead naturally, and they embraced onstage, as rehearsed, only now it wasn’t stiff and awkward, it was Walter and Nancy, expressing their gentle love.

So a kiss hadn’t felt right, in the moment. That was okay. Sikowitz often encouraged them to surprise him, but Jade also knew he would want them to trust their instincts. And besides, from the way the audience reacted, the pathos of the scene seemed to have landed well.

Jade surveyed the audience after they took their bow, and felt her stomach drop in horror. The wazz-bags from Nozu were in the last row, applauding and cheering and waving their arms at the actors. “It’s them,” she reached for Tori. Moments later, a sharp intake of breath told her Tori saw them, too. “What do we do?” Jade asked desperately.

“Run,” Tori said, but a moment later, it was Walter who repeated, “Run, Nancy.”

“Yes, Walter,” Nancy replied, and they flew backstage in a rush, past a confused-looking Andre and Beck.

They were quick to shed their costumes and hang them back on the wardrobe rack before peeling off the wigs.

“Ugh, I hate having wig-head,” said Tori as she sat and stared at her reflection in the make-up mirror.

Jade was standing behind her, and reached out with both hands to ruffle Tori’s hair. “There, better. Also, gross. Your head is sweaty.” She wiped her hands on the back of Tori’s shirt.

“Yours probably is, too!”

Jade shook out her hair and ran her fingers through it. “Nope. I don’t do sweating, remember?”

“I’ve seen you do it.”

“That was an extenuating circumstance. Never speak of it.”

“It still happened.”

“Hurry up and finish so we can go to the party,” Jade urged. She was already lacing her boots back on her feet and Tori was still messing around at the make-up table.

Beck was hosting the cast party, as usual. He had the best place for one with the trailer and the small yard he’d set up around it. This would be the first party they’d attend as exes, but Jade felt like it should be okay. They’d actually been getting along much better once the dust had settled after the initial breakup.

Tori was taking forever, so Jade left her to wrap up whatever she was doing to find Sikowitz and find out how he felt about their performance. He’d give them full notes in class on Monday, but Jade at least wanted to know if their work had paid off.

“Ah, Jade,” he said when she approached him. “That was wonderful! Where’s Tori?”

“She’s taking her sweet-ass time--”

“I’m right here!” came Tori’s voice from behind her. She was still wearing the damn moustache.

“You two should be very proud of yourselves. I know I am.”

Tori nudged Jade. “Aw, he’s proud of us!”

“I’m proud of me!” Sikowitz corrected.

“For what?” Jade asked.

“For getting you two to portray this couple believably. Forcing you two to go out last night was a perfect plan.”

Jade stretched her mouth into a smile. “By the way, thanks for all the ice cream.”

“The what now?”

From the other side of the theater, Jade spotted the two chiz-heads from Nozu. “Come on, Tori,” Jade’s arm looped through Tori’s. “We don’t want to be late.”

“How can we be late? Everyone here is going to the same par--Oh, I see.” They quickly scrambled back into the dressing room area, collected their bags, and pushed out the exit door together.

-

Jade gave Tori a ride to Beck’s cast party, and at least this time didn’t make her proclaim her virginity and lack of a driver’s license first. Tori had the visor down, examining her mustache in the mirror.

“Why are you still wearing that stupid thing?” Jade asked, though her tone was amused.

“I like it,” Tori admitted, turning her face and pursing her lips at her reflection, “I think it suits me.”

“It suits Walter, I don’t know about you,” Jade shot her a smirk.

“Well I’m not quite ready to give it up,” Tori said, pushing the visor back up.

“Suit yourself.”

“I will, thank you.” It was a comfortable banter as they made their way to Beck’s. Tori felt like their success onstage had bonded them in a way even their date hadn’t. She felt synchronized with Jade, in a way, like Nancy and Walter were still swimming just beneath the surface and coloring their interactions. She kind of liked it.

But maybe it was as simple as post-show elation as they prepared to celebrate at the cast party. That was enough to put anyone in a good mood, even Jade.

Jade found a parking spot down the block from Beck’s house, and they walked to his trailer. Everyone else had either already arrived or Tori could see them parking and walking. Beck and Andre were there, of course, as were Cat and Robbie, as well as Sinjin and Burf. Tori wasn’t sure she was ready to spend another Saturday with Sinjin, but it was only fair that the crew got invited as well. As weird as they were, they’d been essential to the show.

When everyone had arrived and piled into Beck’s trailer, Beck stood and held up his hands. “Alright, everyone. Before we begin, I have a few new ground rules.”

Jade looked bored. Tori imagined she’d heard this a few times before already, but Tori listened attentively. She hadn’t attended last year’s party because she’d given three pints of blood for Robbie’s operation that same day.

“First things first.” Beck patted a contraption beside him. “Car keys go in here. Come on,” he encouraged everyone. Jade stood up first, apparently expecting this, and as everyone dropped their car keys into a little lockbox, Beck explained, “I’m not going to have anyone getting hurt on my watch. So this is connected to a breathalyzer,” he gestured to the other half of the contraption, “So in order to get your keys out, you have to blow. It won’t open otherwise.”

“It’s my own design,” Sinjin stated proudly.

“And it works very well,” Beck assured them. “So, no one drives home drunk. Recycling goes outside in the bin, and please try to be responsible with your bottles. If you have to use the bathroom, use the one in the pool house, don’t go into my parents’ house. And if you have to vomit, please don’t do it inside the trailer.” He looked around at all of them, “Alright?” A chorus of agreement and nods followed. “Alright.” He opened a large cooler, “Who wants hard lemonade?”

There was an immediate cluster around the cooler, but Tori hung back. Jade had stepped toward it, but then stopped, looking at Tori, “You want one?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Tori replied, uncertainly.

Jade scrutinized her for a moment, “Don’t tell me you’ve never drank before, either.”

Tori shrugged, “My dad is a cop,” she offered by way of explanation. But she was curious, and if there was a safe time and place to explore, it seemed like now and here, among her friends. Jade was still watching her expectantly, so Tori suggested, “I’ll share one with you.”

Jade considered that, “Okay,” she agreed, “I do have to drive later.” She pushed her way through the group, who were all taking their time choosing a flavor, and came back to Tori with a bottle in her hand. She twisted the top and handed it to Tori, settling next to her on the couch.

Tori held the cold bottle for a moment, looking at the label. She could feel Jade’s eyes on her, and knew there was only a matter of time before the snarky comment followed, so Tori took a sip.

“Not bad,” Tori nodded approvingly, surprised, as she passed it to Jade, who took a swig of her own.

“I know,” Jade replied, “It’s probably actually a crime that they’re so good.”

Tori reached for the bottle, and Jade passed it back. She took a longer drink this time. It really mostly tasted like lemonade, with a sort of hint of something else that lingered in the back of her throat. Maybe Jade was onto something. Delicious, sugary alcohol was certainly enticing to high school kids. She was pretty sure she’d heard her dad complain about this very thing.

They watched as everyone else got a drink and settled around the room. Sinjin and Burf ended up on the floor near them. Too close, in Tori’s opinion. Jade seemed to be feeling the same way.

“Alright, you dinguses,” Jade addressed them, passing the bottle to Tori and standing over them. “Which of you decided to invite those two wazz-bags from Nozu to our performance today?”

They both looked terrified, but Sinjin was brave enough to answer, “I did.”

Jade was glaring murderously at them, “And _why_ did you think that was a good idea?” she asked dangerously.

“They seemed like really cool guys,” Sinjin said earnestly. Burf, maybe trying to avoid the conversation entirely, took a big bite of raw zucchini and avoided Jade’s eyes.

“They were _annoying_ ,” Jade spat.

“They ruined our date!” Tori put in.

“That, too,” Jade was still glaring at Sinjin, then her expression changed to horror, “You didn’t invite them here, did you?”

“I would never break the sacred trust between cast and crew,” Sinjin replied solemnly, drawing a little cross over his heart. Tori glanced at Robbie and Cat, who weren’t involved in the production at all, yet had been invited, but decided not to point that out.

“Good,” Jade said, sitting down next to Tori and angling her body more toward Tori and more away from the two crew members. She took the bottle back from Tori and raised her eyebrow when she noticed how much was left. Or rather, how little.

“It was really good,” Tori said apologetically, “Want to share another one?”

“Whoa, you might want to slow down, virgin,” Jade teased.

“ _Jade_ ,” Tori covered her face. Despite the buzz of conversation in the room, Tori was positive everyone had heard that.

Jade laughed, “Chill out, you’re fine. I’ll grab us another in a minute.” She shot Tori an amused glance, “Though you realize we could’ve just each had our own.”

“Sorry,” Tori said awkwardly.

“It’s fine,” Jade was smiling at her. That alone was new enough that Tori didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

They sat together and listened for a while as Beck and Andre talked about how playing twins had been particularly difficult and hilarious for them and talked about how they approached the utter weirdness of their “identical” status as they acted. After Jade came back with another hard lemonade for them, which she kept a hold of to help keep Tori under control, the cast started arguing playfully about whether or not Walter was actually the father of the twins, with Tori and Jade fiercely defending their sides, and Andre and Beck laughing through their own arguments.

Finally, Cat addressed Tori and Jade, “You two were really good at playing husband and wife.”

“Yeah, you two really pulled it together for the show,” Beck agreed, sounding impressed.

“Seriously, they were terrible all week,” Andre explained to Robbie and Cat. “So how’d you do it?”

Tori glanced at Jade, smiling a little, “Well, Sikowitz forced us to hang out at Nozu last night, and I guess we were able to figure it out,” she said simply. She didn’t know how much she should reveal, though Jade looked perfectly relaxed in the moment.

“Well, you really nailed that last scene,” Andre said.

“It would’ve been hot if you’d kissed,” Rex put in.

“We were going to do that!” Jade surprised Tori a little by announcing. But then, of course. Stage kissing wasn’t a big deal.

“Yeah! We were trying to figure out what kind of kiss would work best for Nancy and Walter, but...I guess we didn’t really practice enough to do it during the performance,” Tori said. She saw the way a few glances and grins passed through the room, but whatever. She and Jade had been professional.

There was a particular glint in Robbie’s eyes as Rex replied, “You practiced?” then pantomimed a faint.

“Sure we did,” Jade glared at the puppet. She turned to Tori, “We thought about really epic movie kisses, you know, like this.” And then she was leaning into Tori. Tori followed her lead, bringing her hand up to Jade’s jaw as they performed a Casablanca-like kiss, with Jade even flinging the arm holding the hard lemonade out a little bit to mimic the scene.

There were a few whoops and some applause as they pulled back from the kiss, and Tori heard Rex ask someone to pinch him.

-

“Do _Lady and the Tramp_!” Cat requested.

“ _No!_ ” both Jade and Tori replied.

Jade was about to remind the group that they weren’t there to entertain them, but Tori was pulling her to her feet and saying, “Let’s show them the slapping one.”

She could tell Tori was buzzing on the alcohol, but so was she. They worked their way to the cue and, unlike in the car, Jade allowed Nancy to follow through with the slap, but then Tori slash Walter slapped her in return. Not hard. But it happened. And then Tori pulled her in for a kiss. It was much more like the Casablanca one than the one they’d shared in the car. When they broke, Jade gripped Tori by the wrist.

“I think Tori needs some air.”

“I know I do,” said Rex, before Robbie shushed him.

Jade led them out the trailer door and welcomed the cool night air on her face. Once they were down the steps, she let go of Tori. “You slapped me.”

“I’m _sorry_ ,” Tori said, “it was a reaction.” Her eyes were taking on the dumb puppy dog quality that happened when Tori felt bad or wanted something or just wanted to be annoyingly endearing in general.

“I’m not mad at you.” Jade was actually kind of thrilled by it. It hadn’t hurt and she knew Tori was only reacting. “I just think maybe we should take a walk.”

“We should walk to the pool house, because I need to wazz.”

“Classy.” But Jade began walking along with Tori toward the small structure.

“Are you having a good time?” Tori asked.

“Yeah, of course. It’s a party.”

“I just mean, because we’re at Beck’s.”

“Oh. Yeah. Everything’s fine.” Jade felt like that was probably true, though she had noticed that he wasn’t as enthusiastic about their kissing showcase as the rest of the group. It would have been weird to see him kissing Andre under similar circumstances. Especially weird because they were playing twins.

They’d reached the pool house and walked through the small studio space to the bathroom. Jade waited outside the door while Tori conducted her business, looking at the corny generic beach artwork that lined the small hallway. After a minute, she heard the toilet, then the sink running. But then more time passed and Tori hadn’t come out.

“Tori?” Jade knocked on the door. “Are you okay?”

“Aw, you’re worried about me,” came the reply through the door.

“You can’t be that drunk from one hard lemonade.” But what if she was? Jade knew that Tori had no handle on her tolerance if she’d never had a drink before tonight. “I’m coming in.” The door was unlocked, thankfully, and Jade pushed it open. Tori was staring in the mirror at herself, stroking the moustache. “ _That’s_ what you’re doing in here?”

“I’m preparing to say goodbye.”

“It’s not like you have to shave it. It just peels off.” She raised an eyebrow at Tori in the mirror.

“It’s become a part of me!”

“I’m going to be honest about something, so maybe it’ll help you in this difficult time.” For as much as Jade had just decided Tori was a lightweight, she was feeling a little loose herself. “You’re a much better kisser without it.”

Tori spun around to face her. “I am?”

Jade considered the question. “I mean, I’m pretty sure.” She wondered if Tori would follow her lead or if this ended here.

“We could…check.”

“You’d have to take the--”

Tori was already pulling the thing off her face. “Yeah, done.”

Jade couldn’t resist the opportunity to jab with, “I thought it’d become a part of you.”

“Decided I could live without it,” Tori said. Then her hands were on Jade’s shoulders, pulling her in and kissing her.

Jade had been leading them here, but it was still a bit of a shock to her senses when it happened, especially with Tori initiating. Until now, it had seemed like Jade was the one driving their encounters, but now Tori’s lips were on hers, Tori’s arms were slipping around her body, and Jade felt untethered in uncharted waters, her brain as mixed as her metaphors. Her hands found Tori’s waist, regrounding her as mind spun, because this kiss was new, as soft and exploratory as the kiss in the library but more hurried, less tentative, the intensity slowly creeping up until Jade felt her heart in her throat, her pulse roaring in her ears. Her fingers grabbed at Tori’s belt, trying to pull her closer, but conscious thought seemed to kick in and she remembered Tori was a virgin, and that even though Jade had kissed a girl before, she’d had a boyfriend for a long time, and this was _new_. Not kissing, of course, but kissing _Tori_ , and all of Jade’s instincts had been shaped around kissing Beck, and now she had no idea what to do, and being buzzed didn’t help her make sense of it, though it did make everything feel deliciously reckless and wanton as the kiss deepened, and they left the memory of their kiss in the library in the dust.

“Jade? Tori?”

Jade was already springing back from an equally startled Tori as she comprehended that it was Cat’s voice echoing in the pool house. She took a breath to calm her nerves before struggling to reply with her normal indifference, “What?”

Cat poked her head around the bathroom door. “Oh, there you are! Are you done in here? I’ve gotta wazz, and then we’re gonna do some karaoke!”

“All yours,” Jade said, taking Tori by the wrist. Jade wasn’t sure how she looked, but Tori looked a little glazed and flushed, so she could only imagine. She was glad it had been someone as oblivious as Cat who had interrupted them.

As they walked back to Beck’s trailer, Tori finally spoke, “Um, wow,” she said, wincing as if she realized immediately that it was a lame thing to say.

Jade flashed her a smile, “That mustache wasn’t doing you any favors,” she observed.

Tori began to move right for the trailer door, but Jade pulled her back. “Hang on.” Now that they were in the brighter light of Beck’s yard, she could see her own lipstick smudged across Tori’s mouth. There was a slight squeak from Tori as Jade wiped it away with her thumb.

And with that, Jade led a flustered Tori back into the trailer, where she decided it was time for another drink. “You want one?” she asked Tori.

Tori thought about it for a moment, but then said, “Sure!”

They took a seat back on the couch together. Andre was setting up the karaoke machine in one corner, and Jade was trying to eavesdrop on a conversation between Sinjin, Burf, and Robbie over near Beck’s bed but they clammed up as soon as she was in an ideal position to listen.

Whatever, they were probably talking about something boring, anyway.

-

Tori felt fuzzy. And warm and happy and silly.

She was on her third (but really second) drink and she was having the best time with her friends. And, okay, she’d made out with Jade in the bathroom. Like, really made out with her. As in, they’d kissed because they _wanted to_. Really, really wanted to. As Tori reflected on that moment, she just kept thinking about how all her focus was on Jade’s mouth right before she’d decided to kiss her. Well, it was pretty clear they’d both been thinking about it, but Tori had finally just given in to the fact that she’d been thinking about the kiss in the car basically for the entire day. That was probably why she’d ultimately avoided the kiss on stage, because she was worried it would turn into what they’d ended up doing back in the pool house.

And that had been...a whirlwind. It was funny, when Tori thought about it. She’d now kissed Jade high, a little drunk, and in a confused half-stagey way while totally sober, and each time had felt entirely new. And this time had been _intense_. She bit her lip as she remembered the rush of pleasure in her chest, the feel of Jade’s hands on her hips--

“Tori?” Andre was holding out the microphone, breaking into Tori’s reverie, “It’s your turn.”

There was more than a touch of overeagerness as Tori jumped to her feet. She tried to seem like she hadn’t just been caught up in the memory of making out with Jade. Not that anyone could know that was even possible. Oh, but they’d been kissing in front of them. But in character. Wait. She was supposed to be picking a song.

She decided on _Five Fingaz to the Face_ and by the time the song finished, the trailer had been all but rocking from all the energy of everyone singing along.

“You’re absolutely the nerdiest rapper,” Jade said as Tori sat back down.

“That’s me, Nerdy T.”

Jane laughed and rolled her eyes, taking a large sip from her drink. Tori was acutely aware of the fact their bodies were pressed up against each other, side-by-side, on their end of the couch which wasn’t uncommon when hanging out at Beck’s as there weren’t that many places to sit. But Tori kept thinking about the pool house and wondering when maybe they could do something like that again.

“Well, Nerdy T, I need you to hold this while I sing,” Jade passed her bottle to Tori. “Do _not_ drink it.”

Tori made a face at her and, when Jade’s back was turned, she took a quick sip, just on principle. Andre caught her eye from across the trailer and Tori just shrugged while he shook his head, amused at whatever it looked like was happening between them.

The night continued with more singing and Jade making Tori switch to a bottle of Crystal Waters. Tori noticed that alcohol didn’t make her nearly as thirsty as weed.

In a break between songs, as they were trying to figure out who would sing next, Sinjin turned to them and said, “You should do the song you sang at Nozu.”

Tori thought she might be game, although her stomach flipped a little at the idea, but Jade glowered at him, “No,” she said flatly. He continued to stare at them, while Robbie and Rex seemed to be trying to pick a song, and then moments later, Jade stood up. “I’m going to head home,” she told Tori. Her mood had shifted. “If you want a ride, come with me.”

“Sure,” Tori stood up, a little woozy from getting up quickly combined with the alcohol, and steadied herself on Jade’s shoulder. Jade watched her as she regained her equilibrium, looking mildly concerned, and then they walked over together to the car key lockbox.

“You leaving?” Beck asked.

“Yeah, see you later,” Jade replied, almost dismissively.

“Bye, Beck!” Tori leaned in to offer him a side hug, “Thanks for a great party.”

He seemed a little stiff as he hugged her back, and his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, “Good night, you guys.”

But Jade was blowing into the breathalyzer, and nothing was happening. She glowered in frustration.

“Here, let me try,” Tori offered.

Jade raised her eyebrows at her, “You can’t drive,” she pointed out.

Tori deflated, “Okay, fair, but maybe--” Jade grabbed her wrist, and Tori followed her out of the trailer. “Where are we going?”

“We can’t go home yet, but I need to get out of there,” she started walking toward her car.

Tori followed, “Are you okay?” Jade's moodiness was her default, but Tori hadn’t yet figured out what triggered her fluctuations.

Jade shrugged, “Just...I was fine for a while, but it started to be a lot. Sinjin constantly creeping on us, being in Beck’s trailer…” she trailed off. “At least I can go sit in my car.”

Tori stopped, “But your keys are inside the lockbox.”

Jade slowed, looking over her shoulder, “I can get in.” Tori paused. She didn’t really know if she should follow, or if Jade wanted to be alone. Jade stopped, noticing she wasn’t following. “You don’t have to come, since I can’t give you a ride home yet,” she said, tone subdued, “You can go back to the party if you want.”

Tori glanced back. She’d been having a great time, but she thought a large part of that was because she was with Jade. She also wondered how much longer a bunch of theater kids could sing karaoke. It seemed neverending. “Or, I could give you some company?” she offered.

Jade shrugged, “Up to you.” But she wasn’t saying no. So Tori fell into step beside her as they walked to her car.

Once there, Jade circled around to the driver’s side rear door and pulled it open. “Do you always leave this door unlocked?” she asked curiously.

“It doesn’t lock,” Jade answered, “That’s why I don’t really keep anything in my car.”

Tori shivered, “Murderers could hide in your back seat.”

“I always check. And, anyway, I’m the one people always think is the murderer.” She climbed into the backseat and Tori followed, closing the door once she was inside. Jade leaned against the passenger side door, facing toward the center, so Tori did the same on her side.

“Would you really?” Tori asked. “Murder someone?”

“I mean I’ve thought about it every time Sinjin’s creeped on us.”

“Why is he always around?” Tori turned and looked out her window, just to make sure he wasn’t there.

“Nerds have nothing else to do.”

“You called me a nerd.”

“Yeah, but you’re a girl-nerd. That’s different.”

“How?”

“Well, you’re not a major creep, for one.” Jade knocked her leg against Tori’s. “And…maybe...you’re kind of…” she casually brushed some dust off her boot. “Cuter.”

Tori flushed. This was unreal. And also absolutely what she wanted. “You think so?”

“I’m not necessarily saying _I_ think that.”

“Oh, of course. I’m sure you were planning to catch Sinjin in the bathroom next.”

“Ew. So gross.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of hating myself for thinking about it.” Tori’s phone buzzed in her pocket.

“I only went in there because you were caught up in fondling your last bit of Walter.” Jade’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “That sounds…way weirder than even I expected.”

Tori laughed and sat up so she could check her phone. It was a text from her dad.

**We know you had a big night, but please be home before midnight.**

“Chiz, it’s my dad.” Tori said. “I have to be home soon.”

“Well, it can’t be with me, apparently.”

Tori sighed. She might as well ask for a ride home.

**I actually need a ride.**

**So does my friend Jade.**

**Okay, then I’m coming to pick you up right now. Where?**

Tori sent him the location, then dropped her phone in her lap. “He’s coming to get us.”

“Wait, _us_?” Jade asked.

“Yeah, wouldn’t you rather go home and get a ride back tomorrow?”

“Tori, I didn’t _ask you_ for a ride home.” Jade sounded kind of angry. “We’re drunk, remember? And your dad is a cop.”

“They’re literally always telling me to call them for stuff like this. They do it for Trina all the time.” But Tori didn’t want to make Jade accept the ride if she’d rather sleep in her car. “When he gets here, I can just say you got another ride. Sorry, I didn’t think about it.”

Jade shook her head and stared out the back window. “I’m…actually fine with going home. I just don’t like it when people decide things for me.”

“I’ll ask next time.”

“Next time we’re drunk in my car?”

“Maybe. Or, like, anywhere we might be trapped.”

“You’re planning on being trapped with me in places?”

“Let’s see...detention…” Tori began tapping her finger against Jade’s leg as she listed places. “Nozu...here. We’re stuck together a lot.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Jade grabbed Tori’s hand and started doing the tingly fist exercise.

Tori’s eyes shut and she sighed, happily. “We also end up kissing a lot.”

“Yeah,” Jade said, her voice softer than it’s usual tone. “We do.”

“So,” Tori opened her eyes, but stayed focused on what Jade was doing to her hand, instead of looking up at her. “Does that mean we like...each other?”

“I think it definitely means we like kissing each other,” Jade said, tugging Tori’s arm.

Tori moved with the momentum and leaned into Jade, kissing her. She caught herself on the door and on Jade’s shoulder, angled slightly on top of her. The kiss felt almost like it was picking back up where they were in the bathroom, any hesitation between them gone, as Tori pressed her lips eagerly against Jade’s unbelievably soft ones, her weight slowly settling onto her. She could feel Jade’s leg, the one angled on the seat between them and pressing against Tori’s, shifting, and Tori lifted her torso so they didn’t have to stop kissing while Jade adjusted her leg. When Jade’s arms pulled her back down, Tori felt her whole upper body melt onto Jade’s, and she sighed against Jade’s lips. She felt Jade’s tongue, moments later, as the kiss intensified, and Tori whimpered in her throat, overwhelmed by sensation. There was only her, and Jade, the warmth of her body, her hands on Tori’s back, her tongue against Tori’s own, and Tori knew then that she’d absolutely rather drown than wither away from lack of something, especially if that something was kissing Jade.

They kept kissing for too long for Tori to even begin to guess how much time had elapsed, but eventually, they had to pull apart. Tori’s head was spinning, maybe from drinking, and she rested it on Jade’s shoulder, not quite ready to actually put space between their bodies. Her face was in Jade’s hair, her nose grazing her throat, and she nuzzled there briefly, inhaling the crisp, fresh scent of Jade’s shampoo. “Wow,” Tori said again. She wondered if she’d ever come up with something more interesting to say after kissing Jade, but what else was there, really? And besides, she was a little drunk, and starting to feel sleepy. She wasn’t supposed to be verbose.

“Yeah,” Jade replied, sounding breathless. She was still holding Tori, arms wrapped around her. Tori could feel her fingers in the ends of her hair. “That was…” she didn’t finish her thought, instead let out a soft sigh. A moment later, though, she asked Tori, “You all right over there?”

Tori let her lips brush against Jade’s neck in answer, but she was thinking, “I’m trying to decide if I like being drunk or high more,” she admitted. This was certainly the superior kiss, but she remembered the way every sensation seemed to be heightened when she was high, and she wondered, with a flutter in her belly, how a kiss like this would’ve felt.

Jade snorted softly, “That’s really what you’re thinking of?”

Tori grinned, “I’m also thinking about kissing you, a lot more.”

“Yeah?” Jade’s voice seemed to have gone weak.

Tori lifted her head slightly, gathering the energy required to dive back in. “Yeah,” she said confidently.

Bright lights shone on the rear window of the car, illuminating the ceiling above them. A light car horn followed. Tori sprang up, looking down at Jade. She wondered when Jade had ended up almost on her back, though still propped against the car door. “That’s my dad,” Tori said.

“Or a murderer,” Jade smirked, sitting up a little.

Tori grinned back at her, shaking her head. She leaned over one more time, pressing her lips to Jade’s for a final, lingering kiss, before untangling herself and stepping out of the car on shaky legs.

-

Jade was convinced Tori’s dad was staring her down in the rearview mirror. He’d come to pick them up and, as soon as Jade had collected herself from her own backseat (it had taken a second because the reality of Tori being on top of her for this latest make-out session was kind of a lot), she’d followed Tori right into the rear seats of the Vega family SUV. It made her feel even more like they were caught, with Officer Vega in the front seat and the two of them in the back.

She’d given him her address and then Tori began chattering non-stop about the show and the party and Beck’s special lockbox.

“It’s actually really smart, because then you have to blow into the breathalyzer and be the legal limit for it to give you the keys back,” explained Tori.

“Well, kiddo, you’re both underage so the legal limit is _zero_.”

Jade could have sworn he made eye contact with her while at a stoplight. Her paranoia about being watched subsided a bit with the distraction of Tori tracing her finger over the five points of Jade’s star tattoo. Her voice was softer, trying to keep their conversation private. “I looked this up. You were saying how it stood for guidance and I guess I just wanted to know where that came from.”

“And what did you find out?” It was almost adorable (if Jade actually found things adorable) how much Tori apparently wanted to learn things about Jade.

“It’s supposed to bring luck.”

“Hmm...it’s sure taking its sweet time.”

“And it’s popular with lesbians and bi women.”

“Oh,” Jade nodded, “so I’ll get lucky with a lot of women with this, is that what you’re saying?” But Tori seemed like she was expecting some kind of confirmation or denial about the meaning of the image choice. “I picked the star when I was fifteen because it stands for guidance. If it happens to mean some other stuff, that’s cool, too.”

As they turned onto Jade’s street, Tori looked out the window. “I’ve never been to your house.”

“I know. I don’t really invite people over. My home is sad and tragic.” It was a joke but it was also a reality on a night like this, when she’d been out having fun and now she was about to let herself into an empty house because her mom was gone until tomorrow night on a work trip.

“Well, if you ever want company,” Tori offered.

Jade wanted to ask her to stay the night right now, not just because she wanted to continue more of whatever she and Tori were exploring, but also because it would be nice to have someone around. She also had a feeling that Tori might be in bigger trouble than she realized. Jade’s parents weren’t very present, but she knew how to spot a disappointed dad from a mile away. The car pulled up in her driveway and she thanked Mr. Vega for the ride. He actually smiled at her and thanked her for not driving his daughter home while drunk. Maybe he wasn’t completely out to get her.

“I’ll text you later,” she said to Tori.

“Goodnight,” Tori said, a drowsy smile on her face.

Jade shut the door of the SUV and hurried up the side entryway, into the house. It was dark and silent. That part was fine. But it was empty. And after a week of wishing for time to herself, she wanted Tori to be there with her.

Literally, honestly, she was so worked up that she was fantasizing about taking things way further than anything they’d done tonight. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when she’d come home in a state like this. Even when she’d first started dating Beck, probably because they were younger, there had never been a need like this to just...handle things.

Jade immediately went to her room and began getting ready for bed. She assumed that by the time she was in her pajamas that all of this would have passed. But it hadn’t. She was thinking about the way Tori made her move in the bathroom. Or how it had felt when Tori hovered over her in the backseat, trying to figure out where to put her arms before kissing her for what felt like an hour, but was probably fifteen minutes. And then there was the way Jade’s stomach flipped inside-out when Tori just laid there with her.

Sure, she liked kissing Tori.

But she also _liked_ Tori.

And her body was not letting her forget just how much Jade liked what they’d been doing together. She gave in, because why not. She was home alone after an eventful night with a girl she apparently liked. Her hand slid below the waist of her black pajama pants and she closed her eyes, recalling the way Tori’s lips moved against hers or the way she’d been so quick to discard that stupid moustache just to grab Jade and kiss her. Tori kissing her neck. Chiz, that had been really nice. She started considering other places Tori might be inclined to kiss, if they kept this up. Memory shifted to fantasy and it wasn’t long before Jade found release against her fingers.

Once she was satiated and felt she’d put enough distance between that moment and the present, Jade sent a text to Tori.

**Hope you aren’t in too much trouble.**

**Your dad seemed...polite.**

**He says I’m not in trouble**

**He also says we have to go visit my grandma tomorrow**

😄

**I had a really good time tonight**

That was what Jade had been hoping for. She didn’t want the night to end.

**Yeah, me too**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _TiK ToK_ by Kesha.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode events of:
> 
> Tori & Jade’s Play Date (3.06)
> 
>   
>  And references events from:
> 
>   
>  Crazy Ponnie (3.11)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is a Virgin Who Can't Drive:**
> 
> She couldn’t stop thinking about Jade.
> 
> She had her World Cultures textbook open in her lap, but she hadn’t actually read a single line of text in it. Instead, she kept catching herself staring into space, or at her phone, getting lost in the memory of kissing Jade.
> 
> The kiss in the bathroom had been validating, finally some real confirmation that all the tension and want Tori was carrying around in her guts meant something, that Jade felt that same magnetic pull. And when Tori grabbed her and kissed her, it was like lightning grounding, invigorating and enlightening, a resolution to the tentative swirl of timidity that had surrounded them since their date, or maybe even earlier, when Tori thought about it.
> 
> And as incredible as that kiss had been, there was also the car. And Tori’s distracted mind was absolutely lingering there.


	5. Something in your kiss, made my body electric

Sunday morning, Tori woke up with a dead PearPhone in her hand and she couldn’t have been happier about it. She’d finally made a connection with Jade, albeit one she wouldn’t have expected if you’d told her about it a few months ago. Tori still had no idea if this meant they were friends or...more than that. But they were...something. And that was exciting.

She plugged her phone into the charger, knowing it would take a few minutes to even boot back up, then slid on her glasses and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. Her mom was blending up some kind of smoothie while her dad cooked bacon and eggs.

“Good morning!” she said to them, immediately heading toward the cabinet that housed the breakfast cereal.

“Morning, hon,” said her dad between the revving of the blender. He waved his hand at Tori when she reached to get the cereal. “No, no. Have a seat. We have breakfast for you.”

“You do?” This was a rarity. If the Vegas ever did a meal together, it was usually dinner. Tori slid into one of the kitchen chairs as David plated the food and Holly poured a tall glass of green smoothie.

“Here you are,” said her dad, placing a steaming plate of bacon and eggs in front of her which was quickly paired with the glass her mom had just poured.

“Wow.” Tori was a little overwhelmed. Had she forgotten it was her own birthday or something? But, no. It was still a couple months away. Whatever, she was starving, so she dug into the food. Her parents seemed to be hovering just behind her. “Aren’t you guys gonna eat?”

“Right, yeah,” said her mom and her parents joined her at the table with their own breakfasts.

“So, your dad tells me that was quite a party you went to last night,” said Holly.

Tori nodded. “I mean, sure. It was kind of a regular one, I guess.” She took a sip of the smoothie, which tasted way more like regular fruit than whatever the green stuff was.

Tori liked it.

“And your mom says you had a big date the other night,” probed David.

“It wasn’t...I wasn’t planning to be on a date. Our teacher kind of tricked us.” She watched as her parents exchanged glances across the table. “Not in a weird way. Jade and I were having trouble connecting with our roles in the play so he made us go on a date to work it out.”

Her dad hummed in realization, “That’s the same Jade I dropped off last night?”

“Yeah.” Okay, her dad was being weird because both of her parents had met her friends plenty of times. “I only know the one Jade.” Tori had already cleared her plate. She realized the last time she’d eaten had been before the show. “That was so good.”

“Remember we’re seeing grandma today,” reminded her mom, “so please be ready by eleven.”

Tori nodded, dumped her plate in the sink, and carried her smoothie upstairs to her room. Her phone was back on, so she sent a quick good morning text to Jade.

**Good morning! 🤗🤗**

She immediately decided that was probably way too upbeat for Jade, first thing in the morning, so she quickly searched for coffee memes, looking for something a little more Jade-like.

It was only just after nine, so she assumed Jade was probably still sleeping. Still, she kept glancing at the phone, hoping to see a response. After five minutes, there was nothing, so she brushed her teeth and took a shower, checking the screen as she towel-dried her hair. No reply. She needed something to do so she wasn’t just waiting for Jade to text back. Thinking so much about Jade made Tori want coffee, so she bounded back downstairs to pour herself a cup. Her parents were somewhere else in the house by now and Trina was filling a bowl with cereal.

“You should have come down earlier, Mom and Dad made breakfast,” Tori commented as she grabbed her favorite purple coffee mug.

“Yeah, right,” scoffed Trina.

“No, really. Dad made eggs and Mom made this really good smoothie.”

Trina froze, then turned to Tori. “And bacon?”

“Yep. So good.”

Trina stared at her with a level of interest that made Tori uncomfortable. “Oh my chiz, what did you do?”

“Uh, I ate it.”

“No, what did you do that you’re in so much trouble?”

“I’m not...what?” Tori was confused. But that happened a lot when talking to Trina.

“You went out last night, right?”

“To the cast party, yeah.”

“And then what?”

“And then...I called Dad for a ride home because Jade was my ride but she couldn’t unlock the breathalyzer box--”

“Jade was drunk?” Trina’s eyes lit up like this was the best news she’d ever heard.

“Barely. We both only had like two drinks.”

“ _You_ were drinking?” Trina began to chuckle. “Oh, Tori. And you called _Dad_ for a ride?”

Tori flung up her hands, not quite getting what the problem was. “They’re always saying to do that.”

“Yeah, so they can _catch_ you.”

“He said I’m not in any trouble!”

“And then they made the hangover breakfast.”

“The what now?”

“Dad makes greasy eggs and bacon while Mom blends up her weird smoothie and then they wait for you to puke.”

“But...I was fine. It was a really good breakfast,” Tori insisted.

Trina squinted in thought as she looked at her sister. “Are you going to see Grandma today?”

“Yeah, aren’t you?”

“Nope,” Trina said, picking up her cereal bowl. “You are so totally busted.”

Tori groaned and took her coffee upstairs. She half-heartedly started looking at the homework she had to do, but she kept glancing at her phone, as if she might miss it buzzing when a text came through.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Jade.

She had her World Cultures textbook open in her lap, but she hadn’t actually read a single line of text in it. Instead, she kept catching herself staring into space, or at her phone, getting lost in the memory of kissing Jade.

The kiss in the bathroom had been validating, finally some real confirmation that all the tension and want Tori was carrying around in her guts meant something, that Jade felt that same magnetic pull. And when Tori grabbed her and kissed her, it was like lightning grounding, invigorating and enlightening, a resolution to the tentative swirl of timidity that had surrounded them since their date, or maybe even earlier, when Tori thought about it.

And as incredible as that kiss had been, there was also the car. And Tori’s distracted mind was absolutely lingering there.

She had been so lost in the experience that her memory of it was a little jumbled, hazy, but the important parts were all there. The softness and warmth of Jade’s body beneath hers, the eagerness and ferocity of their kisses, Jade’s shifting her legs to bring them closer, the feeling like they might never stop, Jade’s hands moving over her back, fingers pressing into her skin through her clothes. And when she finally had to stop, the way it felt to rest in Jade’s arms, inhaling the scent of her, feeling like they existed in their own little world in Jade’s back seat, and nothing else mattered.

Her phone buzzed, jolting Tori out of her reverie.

**I was wondering why I woke up so early. Now I see you were trying to summon me.**

**It’s Sunday, by the way**

It wasn’t even ten, and that was early for a Sunday. Tori hadn’t been able to sleep in much, either. She’d been too excited to fall back to sleep when she woke up.

**I know. But coffee is sacred every day, right?**

**Nothing is sacred**

**But coffee comes close**

**Anyway, good morning, I need to go make some**

Tori’s eyebrows rose. She didn’t think Jade was capable of talking to anyone before coffee. She felt a flush of warmth and satisfaction that she’d made an exception for Tori.

She decided to give Jade a few moments to make coffee, still staring absently at her textbook. There was a knock at her door. “What?” she asked.

Her mom peered in, “We’re going to visit Grandma in an hour, so make sure you’re ready, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be ready,” Tori sighed. She scrutinized her mother, “Mom, am I in trouble?” she asked.

“Of course not, sweetheart,” Holly replied, “We’re just happy you got home safe last night and made a responsible decision. Be ready in an hour,” she reminded Tori, closing the bedroom door.

Tori picked up her phone.

**What are you up to today?**

**Waiting for coffee to brew**

**Otherwise, I don’t know. Figuring out how to get my car from Beck’s.**

**And I guess I have homework**

**You?**

**I’m going to visit my grandma in an hour**

**My parents keep insisting that I’m not in trouble, but Trina says I am**

**IDK your dad was kind of giving off cop vibes last night**

**Because that’s his job!**

**Well I guess parents usually make it pretty clear if you’re grounded right?**

**Like with yelling and taking away stuff**

**Yeah**

**I mean mine don’t really yell**

**Yeah your family is totally weird**

-

Jade was still deciding when she wanted to finally ask Beck to pick her up so she could retrieve her car when someone rang the doorbell. She ignored it at first, because she hated talking to strangers and she wasn’t expecting anyone. But the ringing continued and when she checked the screen on the security pad, she saw Beck standing at the gate to the patio.

“What are you doing here?” she asked through the intercom.

He held up her car keys. “Just dropping off.”

Okay, well that solved her dilemma. She buzzed him in and opened the front door, watching as he sauntered up the patio walkway.

“I was going to call you for a ride.”

“I figured you were sleeping in and needed about three cups of coffee before you’d get around to it, so I thought I’d drive it over for you.”

There he went, again. Making assumptions and doing things for her. Which...sure she appreciated the fact that now she didn’t have to ride across town only to drive back. And, sure, it was _nice_ of him. But she couldn’t help that it still grated on her, his brand of chivalry that used to make her feel good now made her feel underestimated.

She accepted the car keys from him. “How are you getting back home?”

“Felicia gave me a ride.”

 _Oh_. One of his thirsty MILF neighbors. “How is Old Widow Jones?” Jade asked with disdain.

“She’s only forty and it’s not her fault her husband died.”

“Not her fault he was ancient and left her all that money for those giant boobs, either.”

“She’s a very nice lady.”

“Is that what she tells you when she entices you over to her house with lemonade?”

“She asked me _one time_ to fix her sink.”

Yeah, right. Jade could just picture it, Beck in his undershirt, skin glistening, while with half of his body hanging out from this woman's kitchen sink cabinet while she drank a mojito and ogled him. “She has money for a plumber!”

“I’m just making an effort to be a nice neighbor.”

“Okay well, thanks.” Jade shook the keys in an attempt to dismiss him.

“Jade?”

“What?”

“Is everything okay?” Oh, now he wanted to check in with her.

“Yeah, peachy.”

“You just bailed early last night.”

“I was tired.”

“And this is the second time in a couple months that you haven’t been able to get yourself home.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Well, maybe I’ve been going through some stuff.”

“You’re not the only one.”

He wasn’t wrong. But he also had no idea what the past several weeks had been like for her. “I’m not gonna _Requiem for a Dream_ on you or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.” A car horn beeped from the street. Jade indicated toward the sound of the car. “Your GILF awaits.”

As she closed the door, Jade heard him call out, “She’s _forty_!”

-

On Monday morning, Tori still wasn’t convinced her parents were trying to punish her. The trip to visit her grandmother had been standard, even the part where Trina sent a text reminding her to, “Ask Grandma if I’m still in the will.” Tori did not ask. Trina was beyond irritated with her. But her parents seemed totally normal.

When she came downstairs, Tori found her mom sitting down to an omelette complete with fresh vegetables from their garden. “Do you want one?” Holly asked.

“Sure,” Tori replied. See? It wasn’t that weird for her parents to make breakfast.

“Stove’s right there.”

Oh. Okay. So they were back to the Vega standard of do-it-yourself. Aaaaand, there were no eggs left. It didn’t help that Trina showed up on the stairs, screeching some horrible sound she claimed was a vocal warm up.

Then, to really emphasize that it was a _Monday_ , her mom told them about the movie shooting up the street which meant they had to take the long way to school. A five-minute drive would now take forty. Trina rushed upstairs to get dressed while Tori complained to her mother that she really couldn’t take that much car-time with her sister.

“I wish I could drive myself,” lamented Tori.

“Well,” Holly said, “maybe you should get a driver’s license like a normal teenage girl.”

She knew she shouldn’t have let the one incident with the woman in the wheelchair prevent her from driving forever, but it was definitely traumatizing. She wasn’t quite ready to try again.

So now she was stuck in Trina’s car with her, looping up the long way through the Hollywood Hills, while Trina shaved her legs and did hot yoga. By the time Tori walked into Hollywood Arts, she was drenched in sweat and humiliated.

Beck, being the good friend he was, immediately offered to pick her up the next morning. Tori was grateful, though she’d kind of been planning to ask Jade. Since they were, you know, whatever they were. Still, he had offered and it had to be better than riding with Trina, so Tori accepted.

“Whoa,” Jade exclaimed, spotting Tori at her locker. “Why do you look like you just got out of a sauna?”

Tori gave her the quick version of the morning’s events. “Anyway, Beck offered to drive me tomorrow so…”

“Offered or decided for you?” Jade asked.

“Offered?”

Jade hummed but seemed to accept it. “Who’s giving you a ride home?”

“Oh, um…” She really didn’t want to take another forty minute trip with Trina. Tori shut her locker door and Sinjin was standing on the other side. “ _Chiz_!”

“ _Get away from us_ ,” Jade commanded, sending him away. “What the hell is wrong with him? He’s totally obsessed with us.” She looked thoughtful, then spoke more quietly. “I’ll give you a ride home, but I’ll pick you up at InsideOut Burger.”

The burger place was only a couple blocks away, but it was weird that Jade wouldn’t just take her straight from school. “Okay...why there?”

“Because you’re buying me a milkshake as a thank you.”

The bell rang, signaling their need to get to class. Tori figured she’d find out what Jade’s angle was when they met that afternoon.

By the time Tori reached the InsideOut Burger, Jade was already parked in the lot. She was planning to find out what Jade wanted, but she could see Jade was already sipping on a milkshake.

“I thought I was buying,” Tori said as she collapsed into the passenger seat.

“Changed my mind,” said Jade. She handed Tori a second shake.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“I’m giving you a milkshake.”

“But what’s with all the meeting off campus? And...thanks.” It was just a stupid shake but the gesture made Tori feel fluttery.

“I think Sinjin’s onto us.”

“We know he definitely saw us in the library.”

“Yeah, but he’s, like, being extra creepy. Like he’s hoping to watch us kiss again.”

Tori had the same feeling. “So what do we do?” She considered what Jade’s game plan might be. “I’m not going to help you bury a body.”

“You think I don’t already have a list of people who would?” Jade shot back. “Anyway, I think we just need to squash any rumors.”

“Like...what rumors?” Was Jade suggesting they just tell people they were...make-out friends?

“Tori...I really liked hanging out with you this weekend.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling.”

“But everyone’s being so nosy about us. And I’m not sure I’m ready to have them all up in our business.”

Was Jade saying she wanted to stop what they were doing? “Then what should we do?”

“We make them think things are the same. You know, like how we were before we...started...”

“Having really great make-out sessions?” Tori smirked. She was almost certain Jade actually blushed a little.

“Yeah.”

“Did you want to...um...stop?”

“Stop what?” Jade realized what Tori had asked. “No. Definitely not. I mean, as long as you don’t want to stop.”

Tori wanted to keep it up, for sure. But she wasn’t sure how to process Jade’s hesitation about going public with their...make-out-ship. Okay. Maybe she did get it. It seemed pretty personal. It wasn’t like they were dating. Just kissing.

“I like it, a lot. The kissing.” She took a chance and reached over to trace her fingers over Jade’s arm.

“Okay, so…” Jade shifted and let Tori’s hand slide into hers. “If you’ll trust me, here’s what we do: You keep finding rides to school. I’ll meet you here and take you home. On Friday, I’m going to pick you up and we’ll make people think I did to you what I did to Robbie that time I left him at Shadow Creek Park.”

“That’s kind of...a lot. Isn’t it?”

“It has to be so people believe it.” Jade studied Tori’s face. “It’s not like I’ll leave you there.”

“Why does it have to be Friday?”

“I’m still...working it out.”

This plan didn’t entirely make sense to Tori, but it made just enough sense that she was on board with it. Especially if it made Jade want to keep hanging out with her, no matter how discreetly.

“If you’re driving me home every day, does that mean we could...you know…”

“What, you thought I was offering just to be nice?” Jade teased.

“You’re always full of surprises, so I never know.”

On the drive to her house, Tori casually eyed the tin of Jade’s cinnamon mints in the cupholder. She finally reached for it, half expecting Jade to shout at her, but instead, she just asked Tori to give her one. Yeah, okay, so they were really planning to have some kind of after-school make-out schedule. When they turned onto Tori’s street, she wished the roads were wider so they could pull off somewhere not in her front driveway. But the streets in Hollywood Hills were already barely big enough for one SUV, so when Jade put her car in park, they were right in front of the house. Fortunately, Tori knew no one was home at this time of day.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and looked over at Jade who drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.

“So--”

“We don’t always have to have a full conversation about it,” said Jade as she turned to face her.

“Oh...kay.” Tori nodded and leaned forward, letting Jade’s hand slip around the back of her neck, pulling her close until their lips pressed together. She really, _really_ liked doing this. She liked the way Jade’s mouth fit against hers, the way it felt like they were chasing each other. She liked the very light throaty sound Jade made when Tori’s finger tugged at Jade’s shirt collar, ever so slightly. Every tiny movement echoed and almost made her ache. But, like, happily.

There was a rumbling sound that made Tori pull back. And then what she saw made her sit up straight in her seat. It was the garage door. Opening.

“Uh, I thought you said no one was home.” Jade sounded a little bit winded in a way that made Tori feel accomplished.

“No one is.” Tori turned and looked behind the car. There was her dad’s SUV pulling up to the driveway. “Oh. Well, now someone is.” She looked back to Jade, whose cheeks were a touch pink. Yeah, Tori felt pretty damn proud of herself. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Jade nodded and tapped on her shake cup. “You _are_ buying tomorrow. Just so you know.”

Tori exited the car and waved to Jade, who pulled her car back and offered some kind of hand gesture salute to Tori’s dad. She waited in the garage while her dad parked the car.

“Jade again?” David asked, stepping out of the SUV.

“Yeah, I’m going to lose my mind riding with Trina everyday because of the movie shoot.”

“Can’t really blame you,” he said. “Help me carry this stuff to the back.” The SUV hatch opened and there were a few bags from the garden center.

“What’s all this for?” Tori asked, lugging two of the bags behind her father as they walked into the backyard.

“Your mom’s vegetables. Has to be weeded first, though.”

“Oh, what do you use to do that?”

He plucked a pair of garden gloves from one of the bags and handed them to Tori. “You just slip these on and pick them right out.”

“Wait, _I’m_ doing this?”

He just patted her shoulder and left her alone.

She had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, Trina had been right and she was actually in trouble.

-

Tuesday morning, Jade noticed droplets of blood on the concrete near the entrance to Hollywood Arts. It wasn’t often that a day shaped up to be so promising, and Jade wasn’t about to let an opportunity to look at a bleeding student go to waste. She followed the trails of droplets into the school and to the nurse’s office.

Nurse Kotter was tall, broad, and flamboyant. Privately, Jade assumed he was a leather daddy, maybe even one that did gay porn in his youth. He just seemed like the type. It wasn’t a hunch about him she was inclined to investigate, because she didn’t want him to lose his job, but she always wondered. Jade walked into the nurse’s office to find Nurse Kotter bent over a student, though his bearish frame prevented Jade from seeing who it was.

Nurse Kotter glanced over his shoulder, “Jade, honey, I’m gonna need you to give this student some privacy, please.” Jade was a familiar face in the nurse’s office. Nurse Kotter had learned over the years that Jade’s visits to his office claiming to need painkillers always seemed to coincide with some other student’s illness or injury, but he took her fascination with the human body in stride. He couldn’t exactly stop her from waiting in the office to see him, but he did his best to shield students from her scrutiny as well.

“Jade?” it was Tori’s voice, sounding like she had a bad head cold. Jade raised her eyebrows. “It’s okay,” Tori said, as Nurse Kotter leaned back, “She’s my friend.”

“I’m not your--whoa, Vega!” Tori was holding a blood-soaked tissue up to her nose, with a few more wadded on her lap. Jade stepped closer, ignoring Nurse Kotter’s warning look. “What happened here?”

Tori sighed, “I got a ride with Beck this morning, along with _four other girls_ ,” she said incredulously, “One of them called me a grunch and I guess I lost my temper a little bit. It was a huge mess.” She lifted one of her arms. “One bit my elbow,” she complained.

“Yes, honey,” Nurse Kotter said soothingly, “Let me disinfect that while we wait for your nose to stop bleeding,” he wheeled across the room in his chair to grab alcohol wipes and a bandage.

“Let me get this straight,” Jade started, eyes flitting to take in all the blood Tori had apparently lost, “You took on four girls by yourself?”

Tori’s shoulders slumped, “I know, I know. It was stupid. They were infuriatingly annoying, but I shouldn’t have taken the bait.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Jade said slowly, scrutinizing Tori. Having dated Beck for years, she more than anyone else could certainly sympathize with Tori about just how annoying the girls who flocked around him could be. Even so, she’d never tried to physically fight them, preferring intimidation and terror.

She couldn’t exactly tell Tori this, with Nurse Kotter right there, dabbing at her elbow, but the fact that Tori had attacked four of the irritating airheads who were obsessed with Jade’s ex-boyfriend was kind of...hot.

Tori was staring at her in confusion. Jade gnashed her teeth at her with a growl, watching just long enough to see Tori turn a little pink, and then she turned to walk out.

“So you _don’t_ need anything, Jade?” Nurse Kotter asked her retreating back.

“Headache went away on its own, thanks,” Jade said, hearing his long-suffering sigh as she left the nurse’s office.

When Tori met up with her at InsideOut Burger, the swelling around her nose had mostly gone away, but it was a little bruised and topped off with a white butterfly bandage.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the Warrior Princess.” Jade had been texting Tori various female warriors all day. It was her way of saying she was proud of her for resorting to violence. “Puncher of grunches.”

“I don’t know if any of my hits actually landed,” Tori admitted.

“Still a good effort.” Jade’s eyes narrowed as she took a good look at Tori’s face. “Does it hurt?”

“My face? No…” Tori, squinted, wary. “Why, is it killing you?”

“Look at you with the jokes.” Jade was actively still working on sincerity with Tori but she had hoped her intention might be a little more obvious in this situation. “And no, I’m being serious. I literally followed your blood trail to find you this morning.”

“I guess I’m a bleeder.”

“Maybe try and avoid anything flying directly at your face.”

Tori hesitated before asking, “Or?”

“Or what?”

“I don’t know, I thought maybe there was another crack at my virginity under the surface.”

Jade caught herself before she said anything about taking a crack at Tori’s virginity. Instead, she started the car and pulled into the drive-thru. “You’re buying. I want chocolate today.”

Tori was thoughtful, “I’ll take vanilla,” she told Jade as she handed her some cash.

There was a crack there, too, about vanilla, but Jade wasn’t sure Tori would get it. Besides, it wasn’t like Jade really had any practical experience beyond vanilla, either. She kept her mouth shut. It was difficult to suppress her natural instinct to tease Tori, even though it wasn’t coming from a place of spite anymore. She enjoyed riling Tori up, but she had to be a little more discerning about how she accomplished that.

Once they’d acquired their milkshakes, they began the long trek through the hills to Tori’s house. It was a long drive, but to Jade, it was worth it. Not that she would say so out loud. They enjoyed their milkshakes, sang together to some songs on the radio. If the roads weren’t so tight and winding, the journey would be far more pleasant. As it was, Jade could only steal glances at Tori as she drove through anxiety-inducing streets. She did notice, however, when Tori took a cinnamon-flavored mint, and she smirked at the implications of her action as she took one, too.

When they pulled into Tori’s driveway, Jade turned to look at her. Though Tori was nibbling on her lip eagerly, Jade also couldn’t help but stare at her swollen nose with the butterfly bandage. “Um,” Jade realized, “Can you even kiss right now?”

Tori touched her nose gingerly, wincing. “Yes,” she said decisively, “Carefully,” she clarified.

Jade nodded, leaning over the center console to meet Tori, deciding to let her take the lead.

The touch of lips was almost as tentative as their first kiss in the library. Jade felt Tori’s hand reach for hers, interlacing their fingers just next to Jade’s thigh, her hand squeezing tightly in a way that expressed how much she was holding back with their kisses, but it turned out, her reserve only lasted so long. The kiss was deepening, Tori’s chin nudging hers as she pressed closer, her tongue slipping out to find Jade’s own. It elicited a little groan of surprise from Jade, and she heard an answering whimper from Tori, and it was enough to almost make her forget to be careful.

But even with Jade being conscientious, Tori pulled back sharply a few moments later, hissing between her teeth, “Ow! Chiz!” She covered her nose with her hand.

“Did I hurt you?” Jade asked in concern.

“No, I think I did it to myself,” Tori said mournfully. She was blinking rapidly; it must’ve stung enough to make her tear up a bit. But she was looking at Jade with conflicting desire and apprehension.

Jade waited, and the hand that Tori had jerked away found its way back to hers. Not sure what else to do, Jade ran her thumb over Tori’s knuckles. In a way it almost seemed to ground Tori; Jade could see her gaze shift to their hands, and slowly she dropped the hand that was covering her nose, and leaning back into Jade.

This time was gentler, though no less exciting, though it was still far too short as it was interrupted by Tori’s phone buzzing sharply in her pocket. And not a text buzz, either; it was the ongoing buzz of an incoming call.

Tori pulled back with an exasperated sigh, and answered, “Mom? What is it?” Jade could see her eyebrows furrow, “Yeah, I’m home, what--” Another sigh, “Okay, I’ll be right in.”

Later, Jade received a series of texts from Tori:

**She wanted my help to dust the baseboards**

**That was why she called**

**I really don’t know why they won’t leave me alone**

**It’s probably me, tbh**

**Bad reputation and all that**

**You’re mean but you don’t have a rep for being like dangerous or anything**

**Wow way to crush my dreams**

**You know what I mean**

**Your bark is worse that your bite**

**Oh so I’m a dog now?**

😥

**How’s your nose?**

**Better**

**Good**

The next morning, there was a Slap update from Tori talking about how warm oatmeal felt like puke and a text to Jade that just said:

**Andre’s grandma poured her oatmeal in my hands!**

😫 😫 😫

So...Jade imagined the ride to school with Andre had not been fun.

Tori at least seemed to be feeling better. She still had the strip of bandage across the bridge of her nose, but either she used a really great cover up or the bruising had healed quickly.

“I feel like coffee today,” Jade said, the second Tori sat in the passenger seat.

“Okay,” Tori replied as she clipped the seatbelt into place. “How is that different than any other day?”

“I meant instead of the milkshake.” Jade pulled out of the InsideOut Burger parking lot and started driving west down Sunset.

“Isn’t there a closer Jet Brew the other way?”

“I’m already going this way.” Jade knew exactly which Jet Brew she wanted to patronize and it wasn’t the one right next to the school.

“Okay…” Tori trailed off, eyeing her uncertainly. Jade flashed her a smile at a stoplight, but it didn’t seem to put Tori at ease. Good. Keeping Tori on her toes still delighted Jade, even if the context had changed. She didn’t want to lose her edge.

She pulled into the other Jet Brew and got in line for the drive thru. There were a couple of cars ahead of her, which would usually irritate her, but now, it made her grin. She put the car in park.

Jade turned to look at Tori. “Your nose is really feeling better?” she confirmed.

“Yes,” Tori told her, probing it for good effect.

“Good,” Jade said, and just as Tori’s expression brightened as she understood Jade’s implication, Jade already had her shirt collar in her hand and was gently pulling her in for a kiss.

It didn’t stay gentle for long. Tori’s body twisted so she was practically climbing over the center console to get to Jade, only her seatbelt keeping her from really being able to press closer. Jade’s hand slid around her neck to bury itself in Tori’s hair. They kissed like they were drunk, a little wild and desperate. Tori’s hand was reaching again, but settled on her thigh instead, fingers digging into Jade’s flesh through her pants.

And, as always, too short. The car behind Jade honked.

Jade’s head fell back as she released a frustrated groan. “ _Oh, come on_.” But when she looked out the windshield, she could see the previous two cars had already moved up and the space in front of the order speaker was empty. She shifted the car back into drive. Next to her, Tori flipped down the visor mirror and wiped the smudged lipstick away from her mouth with a tissue.

Once their order was placed, the line had already moved up again and they were stopped right in front of the drive-thru window. Jade wasn’t planning to give the barista a free show, so she settled on letting Tori trace lines with her fingers over her tattoo.

“Why do you always want to do that?” Jade asked, her other elbow propped up in the open window.

“I guess I just assumed it feels nice.” Tori stopped, but Jade shook her arm, urging her to continue doing it.

“It does and I definitely didn’t say stop. I just wanted to know why.”

“I...like touching you? Especially because you generally don’t want people to do it, but you seem to like when I do so…”

Tori wasn’t wrong. Jade generally tensed up when just about anyone else touched her if she wasn’t directly initiating contact. But Tori had managed to be an exception, even before...all this. Jade wasn’t ready to examine what that might mean. Or maybe it didn’t mean anything. Maybe Tori was just a person who had a really nice, comfortable, reassuring touch that didn’t make her skin crawl.

Their order was ready, so Jade passed Tori the drinks and pulled forward in the drive-thru. She stopped once she was clear of the window, reaching for her own cup.

Her window was still down and she heard a familiar voice call out, “Jade! Tori!” When she looked over, there was Sikowitz, prancing over to her car. “Oh, how lovely to see my favorite couple together again.”

“Your what?” Jade asked. She threw a glance at Tori who shrugged and shook her head.

Sikowitz gestured to the two of them. “The Swains. Dear old Nancy and Walter.”

“Riiiiight,” Jade nodded. Fortunately, there was another beep from the car behind hers and, this time, she was glad to be cut short. “Gotta go, see you tomorrow!” She hit the gas and moved quickly away from him.

Tori turned and waved out the back window. As she faced back to the front, she groaned. “You don’t think he saw us, did you?”

“I don’t think so,” Jade assured her. She was pretty sure he must’ve come from inside the store.

Tori eased back into her seat, looking relieved. She brought her black and white mocha to her mouth, grimaced, and put it in the cup holder. Jade took a sip of her own black coffee, two sugars.

“How can you drink that?” Tori asked in awe.

“I could say the same to you,” Jade shot back. Overly sugary drinks masked the true flavor of coffee. Jade appreciated the bittersweet.

“What? I _can’t_. It’s too hot.”

“Oh,” Jade said, “I’m used to it.” She was waiting for a break in traffic to pull back onto the street, so she glanced at Tori, “But you be careful with that overly sweet mocha.” Tori raised an eyebrow at her. “Wouldn’t want you burning your mouth,” Jade said, seeing her opportunity and pulling out of the parking lot.

“No, we definitely don’t,” Tori agreed faintly.

As they drove, they sipped coffee and Jade allowed Tori to scroll through PearTunes for music to listen to. Maybe Tori was elated because her nose felt better, or maybe it was the caffeine plus the high sugar content, but she was quite the enthusiastic seat dancer today. Especially when _C’Mon_ by Ke$ha began to play. Tori sang along and bounced in her seat, trying to get Jade to join in whatever goofy dance moves she’d just made up.

“ _I’m driving_ ,” Jade insisted. But once they were at a stoplight, the energy was contagious and she followed Tori’s lead, dancing to the chorus of the song. It was only for a minute before the light changed again, but it left Jade with a new sense of warmth she felt around Tori. They were having _fun_. Which was all the more reason why she wanted whatever they were doing to be private. She’d been one half of the It Couple at Hollywood Arts for a long time. The idea of being able to keep something to herself was very appealing. She knew that couldn’t happen forever, but at least while they were figuring things out, it would be nice to be left alone.

And there were other pieces of whatever was happening between them that Jade was rolling around in her mind, particularly as she realized she couldn’t stop grinning about how ridiculously adorable a hyped-up Tori Vega could be as she danced in Jade’s car. Tori was _very_ different from Beck. Beck had always been so casual and cool about everything that Jade had needed aggression to punctuate what they were to each other--to drive away the girls who flocked around him, even sometimes to remind Beck himself to pay attention to her. But Tori didn’t need that from Jade, and always gave as good as she got when Jade pressed her. The persona that Jade had cultivated that terrified people was partially built around Beck, and with Tori...it wouldn’t be the same. Jade didn’t know if she was ready for other people to see what Tori brought out of her. What she still needed as they explored this was to be alone.

Which...apparently wasn’t happening today. When she pulled up to the Vega’s driveway, there was already a car parked right in the middle of it. It wasn’t the SUV she’d ridden in, but a smaller, sportier car. And there was Tori’s mom, setting up a bucket and a hose.

-

“Chiz, what’s my mom doing?” Tori was mortified. This was supposed to be their driveway time, even if they only ever got ten minutes of it.

“Uh, looks like maybe she’s about to wash her car?” Jade chuckled, though Tori was pretty sure it was out of frustration.

“I guess…” Her eyes flitted from Jade’s eyes, to her lips, to her hand, which was trailing fingers over the back of Tori’s.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

But Tori hadn’t moved for the door handle yet. She watched her mom, who had waved to them, then walked around the car, back into the garage for something. Her intent had been to move for Jade, but Jade was already moving, hands on either side of Tori’s face, giving her a quick but firm kiss before letting go. Holly was back in view before Tori could go back for more.

“See you tomorrow.” Tori climbed out of the car. She’d just started up the driveway when she heard Jade’s window roll down.

“You forgot your gross-sugary-terrible-excuse-for-coffee,” Jade called to her.

Tori walked over to retrieve the cup through the window. “Wouldn’t want you to accidentally try something new.”

“I know what I like.”

“Tori!” called Holly. “You’re just in time to help me wash the car.”

“Have they admitted you’re actually in trouble, yet?” Jade asked.

“Nope.” Tori pushed up off of Jade’s car, gave her one final wave, then trudged up the driveway.

“Perfect,” said her mom, handing her a giant sponge. “I have to make a phone call.”

Tori looked down at her school clothes. “Can’t I change first?” But her mom had already walked back into the house. With a groan she set her bag and coffee inside the garage, then went to work on spraying the car with the hose.

A minute or so later, she noticed Jade’s car slowly passing by.

“Lookin’ good, Vega!” Jade called. She held up her phone to take a picture. Or worse, a video.

“Don’t you dare!” challenged Tori.

“Smile pretty,” directed Jade.

Tori raised the hose with the sprayer pointed at Jade’s car. “I’m armed.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Tori raised her eyebrow and stared back at Jade.

“You look really good in this light,” Jade commented, looking at the screen on her phone.

Tori squeezed the trigger on the sprayer handle, sending a quick mist in Jade’s direction. “That was a warning shot.”

A car honked from behind Jade.

“What is with this town?” Jade complained. “Everyone is so impatient.” She lifted the phone up one more time and Tori heard the clicking of the camera app. “ _Bye,_ ” Jade said before driving away.

Tori’s mom never actually reappeared, not that Tori really expected her to at this point, so Tori washed her mom’s car as her school clothes gradually got wetter. Just when she thought she was finished, her dad pulled up in his SUV.

“Oh, you’re washing cars today?” he asked, “Mine could use a wash.”

“Daaad,” Tori whined, “Seriously?”

“Yep. Thanks, honey,” and Tori’s dad walked past her and into the house. Tori groaned and started on the SUV.

Her dad’s car was much more difficult, as Tori’s height meant that some parts were hard to reach. This just meant that by the time she was finished washing the SUV, the entire front of her outfit--and even parts of the back--were soaked. Tori rolled up the hose roughly and threw it in the garage, picking up her bag and her now-cold coffee, and trudged into the house.

“Okay!” she shouted, “The cars are washed!”

Her mom was sitting at the kitchen table, eating what looked like chicken breast and steamed vegetables. It smelled amazing. “There’s no need to shout,” she admonished, “But thank you. We really appreciate it.”

Tori glanced at the stove. Of course, the cookware used to prepare the food were completely empty. Her mom should start a cooking show about cooking for one. “Mom, _am I in trouble_?” she asked, stomping her foot for emphasis. This was exhausting and endlessly frustrating.

“Of course not, sweetheart, why would you ask that?” Holly took a bite of chicken, closing her eyes and humming with enjoyment. “This is really good,” she commented.

Tori groaned, long, loud and exasperated, and stomped up the stairs to take a shower. She pulled out her phone when she was inside her room to text Jade.

**I got so wet after you left**

**Like totally soaked**

**…**

**Tori**

**What?**

**OMG. So not what I meant!**

**Perv**

**You’re the one talking dirty**

**I had to wash both of my parents cars!!**

**It was a disaster**

**A wet disaster**

**I have to go take a shower**

**See? Dirty.**

😝

Tori anticipated that her ride to school with Robbie might actually be the uneventful one of the week. If Robbie was driving, Rex would have to keep his mouth shut. Tori figured she might have to sit in the back seat if Rex had called shotgun, but that would be fine with her. She’d have an easier time ignoring Robbie from back there.

But it turned out that Robbie didn’t even have a car. Instead, she pedaled to school, in a pedal cab, and no matter how much Robbie tried to claim it was the “car of the future,” it was easily the most humiliating ride of the week. Not to mention the slowest. They got passed by an elderly and yelled at by children on tricycles.

Never again.

Cat had become obsessed with some kind of couponing app and today was passing out Bag-O-Rags to her fellow students. It was literally just rags in a bag, but Tori took one to be polite.

Cat asked how her drive with Robbie had gone, and then offered, “Well, I bet my brother would drive you. If you don’t mind screaming.”

Tori didn’t really have any desire to be in that insane car ever again. And when Cat clarified that by screaming, she meant that her brother screamed at things like trees and buses, it sounded like even less of a good idea. So Tori declined Cat’s offer.

Cat shrugged, offered Tori one more bag of rags, and then departed with a “Have a rag-errific day!”

As Cat left, Jade approached Tori, exactly like they’d planned. Tori pretended not to notice and watched Cat depart, sighing.

Tori turned after Jade sat down. “Hello,” she greeted uncertainly.

Jade was staring at her, smiling in an unsettling way. “I hear you’re looking for a new ride to school.”

“I am. Why?” It was so different, now, pretending to be cautious around Jade. Luckily Jade herself was helping by wearing an expression Tori had never seen before, and she’d seen Jade smile a lot lately. This was almost a leer, but one that made Tori feel itchy instead of blushy.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at 7:15.” Jade’s offer was a statement, not a question.

“You?” Tori asked, a little incredulous.

“Why confused?” Jade was injecting some sweetness into her voice that Tori knew wasn’t genuine. She wondered if it sounded as unnerving to anyone around them as it did to her. Because that was really the point of this whole exercise, wasn’t it, to make everyone else think she and Jade had the same contentious relationship they always did? It was starting to make even less sense to Tori.

But she was still game to continue. “Well, you know, why would you offer to drive me to school?” She dramatically emphasized _you_ and _me_. Really laying it on thick for the onlookers.

“Okay, you always complain that I’m not nice to you and now that I’m being nice to you, you question it.” Jade sounded reasonable, under the circumstances.

“No. No, I mean, thanks. I’d love a ride.” Tori tried to sound as apprehensive as possible.

“Perfect.” Jade continued staring at her with that same weird smile.

Even though they’d planned it all, Tori found it was easy to feign awkwardness with Jade looking at her like _that_.

-

Their lunch scene had gone perfectly. It felt like performance art. It was, Jade supposed. As she walked the halls, she wondered if she’d stumble into anyone gossiping about what might happen to Tori tomorrow, but nothing was buzzing yet.

She rounded the corner to see Tori yank open her locker and literally throw her notebook inside. “Whoa, Tori.” It was unusual to see Tori angry like this, she was generally a pretty happy person. “Is everything okay?”

Tori looked over at Jade, her eyes devoid of their usual mirth. “No, everything is not okay.” She pushed her locker shut so hard, the Make It Shine flickered. “My mom’s picking me up after school for some eye appointment I didn’t even know I had.” And then Tori looked like she was maybe about to cry.

Oh no. Not out here. “Come on.” Jade grabbed Tori by the wrist and immediately began leading her to the janitor’s closet. Once they were inside, she asked, “Okay, what’s happening? You have to go to the eye doctor? So what? Worried you’ll end up with a less nerdy pair of glasses?” Maybe Tori had something wrong with her eyes. Jade hoped it wasn’t serious.

“So then we’re not going to see each other after school,” Tori sighed.

Right. That was a good point. A good point that sucked hard. “I see,” Jade realized.

Again, Tori seemed to be on the brink of tears. “I’m just...I want to hang out with you and I want my parents to just tell me I’m in trouble so I can know when their weird punishment will end and I want this week to be over but also it’s kind of been really, really great.”

Jade was used to being the one with big reactions versus Beck’s lack of any major expression, so she wasn’t quite sure how to navigate Tori’s emotional state. She just knew that she didn’t like seeing Tori this upset. Jade reached out to her, just hoping to calm her down, but Tori just flung herself at Jade, leaving Jade no choice but to just wrap her in a hug. Again, new territory. Except that Tori was, like, perpetually obsessed with trying to get Jade to hug her.

In this moment, though, it came naturally to reciprocate. Tori’s face was pressed against her neck and Jade’s nose kept being tickled by Tori’s hair. And it smelled pretty damn nice.

Once she felt like Tori had calmed a little, Jade said, “Look, it sucks that we can’t hang out today. That’s actually pretty shitty. But,” she pulled back to get Tori to look at her. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. Filming the video is only going to take up part of the drive. And we can spend some time together before school, preferably where your parents or Sinjin or Sikowitz can’t pop in on us.” Even talking about the video seemed ridiculous at this point. What was she trying to accomplish by making people think she and Tori weren’t getting along? But then, the whole point was to help them have some distance from everyone else, right? It seemed like it could still be a good idea.

If it wasn’t making Tori miserable.

And _that_ was weird, because that used to be Jade’s favorite pastime.

“I’d like that,” Tori said with a nod. She opened her monstrous bag and pulled out another bag that was filled with rags, then used one of the rags to dab her eyes.

“Wow.”

“What?”

“You just had that in there?”

“Cat’s giving them away.”

“Sounds about right.” Jade’s hand snaked down to find Tori’s and she pulled her over into the far corner of the closet, away from the window.

“What’re we…” Tori quickly caught on when Jade tugged her even closer.

And even though all they’d been able to do when they had moments alone all week was make out, this was different. They were at school, Tori had been almost crying. It wasn’t really the time or place, as much as they both probably wished it was. So instead, Jade kissed her gently, with reassuring, slow kisses. Tori kissed back, sighing against Jade’s mouth, and Jade could feel Tori’s body relaxing in her arms.

They pulled back from the kiss a few long moments later, though their arms were still wrapped around each other. Jade searched Tori’s face, saw that her eyes were still glistening a little, but she was smiling softly. “Better?” Jade asked.

Tori nodded, “A little.” She let out a breath. “It’s just been...such a crazy week. Every single person is making me insane. Except you.” Jade raised an eyebrow. “Okay, but you make me a different sort of crazy,” Tori admitted.

“So you’re saying that in all this time that I’ve been trying to drive you out of your mind, I just needed to start kissing you?” Jade asked. Her fingertips drifted across Tori’s cheek as she brushed a few disheveled strands of hair back.

“Guess so.”

The bell rang with a reminder there was still more to the school day. Jade followed Tori out of the janitor’s closet, giving her a nudge with her shoulder right before they split trajectory to move down different halls.

At the beginning of this week, Jade had been focused on shaping this project to keep people out of her business. But now that the day was approaching, she found herself wondering which Jet Brew had the best parking lot for an undisturbed morning make-out session.

-

Friday was finally here and the week was almost over. Though, she still had to find a ride the next day because of her acting workshop. But one day at a time.

At least this morning, she knew what to expect. A bowl of cereal. A cup of coffee. A tiny glass of juice. And a banana. A nice, balanced breakfast. Even though she still didn’t quite fully understand it, she wanted to be at her best for whatever this video would be because it was a performance (technically, she was in one of Jade’s films).

She also wanted to make sure she was wide awake and had enough energy for...after.

She’d just finished loading her breakfast dishes into the dishwasher when her dad came down the stairs. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Morning, dad.”

“Have any big plans for your weekend?” he asked, pouring his coffee.

Tori threw her hands up. “Okay! I get it! I’m in trouble. I drank alcohol when I shouldn’t have and now I’m paying for it. Just _please_ tell me what to expect for this weekend. And can you tell me when all this is going to be over?”

“When all what is going to be over?” asked her dad before sipping his coffee. “You mom and I are going to Santa Barbara the next couple days, so you and Trina have the house to yourselves.”

“We do?”

“I expect you’ll both be responsible.” He squinted. “Well. I expect _you_ will.”

Tori sighed in relief. “I will.”

At exactly 7:14, Tori received a text.

**You have exactly one minute to get out here.**

“Gotta go, my ride’s here,” she said, collecting her bag and jacket.

“Tell Jade I said hello.”

“How’d you know…” Tori decided she didn’t really have time for questions, Jade was waiting.

In the car, Jade had her PearPhone clipped in a holder on the air vents. It looked like it was already framed up and ready for their production. Behind them, in the backseat, was a shovel.

“Are people supposed to think you’re going to bury me?” Tori asked.

“I’m just making an artistic suggestion,” said Jade. She began to maneuver the narrow streets toward Mulholland.

Tori fiddled with the radio since Jade’s PearPhone was otherwise occupied. When they made the turn to head toward Shadow Creek Park, she posted an update to The Slap.

**Jade is driving me to school. Um...awesome?**

**Feeling: Endangered 😳**

They approached the turn-off for Shadow Creek Road and Jade pulled over to the shoulder.

“Ready?” asked Jade.

Tori nodded. “Yeah.”

Jade made sure the camera on her PearPhone was framed up right and hit record.

Tori began the dialogue they’d worked out. Unlike the scene in the courtyard, Jade wanted this one to be a little more fluid, so they were improvising based on certain details they’d provided. Tori tried to act like she hadn’t just spent every afternoon this past week getting very familiar with Jade’s car.

“Um, I like your car.”

“I’m so glad,” Jade replied. She had that same unsettling smile on her face from yesterday in the quad. It wasn’t like any look she’d regularly given Tori, even before they were really getting along. Almost like it was what Jade thought she was supposed to look like when she was giving Tori a hard time. The weirdest part about it was that it was kind of sexy in a creepy way. Creepy sexy. Actually, that was a great way to describe Jade.

Wait. Tori was supposed to be talking.

“I thought you only liked to drive at night.”

“Oh, I prefer to drive at night. But, you know,” Jade glanced over at her, “anything for a friend.”

“Right. _Right_.” Tori stared out her window at the brush and trees that passed by them. “Um, where are we?”

“Just driving to school.”

“Are you sure we can get to school this way? I’ve never been this way.”

“Relax, Tori. Everything’s fine.” Jade’s voice sounded extra sultry and Tori couldn’t decide if it was a character choice or if she was just hearing extra sexiness because of their scheduled quality time after this was over.

Tori commented that her phone had no signal and Jade confirmed it was because they were so close to Shadow Creek Park.

“There’s not much signal up here. There’s not much of anything up here.”

“Oh.”

And then Jade started singing some very creepy song that they hadn’t rehearsed. Tori felt like she needed to make a believable exit. She slowly unhooked her seatbelt and as the car slowed to approach a stop sign, she opened the door and jumped out.

-

Jade hit the brakes.

Tori just _jumped out_ of a moving vehicle. She was still on her feet, though. So Jade went with it.

“Why’d you jump out of the car?” Jade asked through the open window.

“Oh, no reason.”

“Well, hurry up and get back in!” Jade hadn’t anticipated Tori actually leaving the car. In her mind, she was going to cut the scene during the musical interlude.

“No, that’s okay,” Tori insisted. “I’ll walk it from here.”

“Suit yourself,” muttered Jade, reaching over to close the door. Tori was already walking away, probably not even thinking about how she couldn’t be seen on camera. Jade quickly made a choice about how to close the scene. She looked back at the shovel, wistful. “Next time.” Her foot hit the gas and she was thrilled to hear her tires screech.

About three seconds later, she slowed to a stop and turned off the camera. She looked in the rearview, but couldn’t see Tori. Out of habit, she picked up her phone and tapped Tori’s name on the screen. No service.

“Of course,” Jade groaned. She turned the car around and rolled back to the spot where Tori had ejected herself from the car. Or, at least, she was pretty sure this was the spot. Everything out here looked the same. Jade got out of the car and stood up on the doorframe. “Tori!” she shouted.

She had to be here, somewhere. It’s not like she’d lost Tori in the wilderness. Ugh, Tori was totally the type, though.

“ _Tori!_ ”

This was stupid. It was stupid because they had plans. And because Jade had spent all night second-guessing this dumb project. What even was the point? To keep Sinjin away? She could probably come up with some equally effective threats that didn’t involve losing her make-out partner in the middle of nowhere.

Jade shielded her eyes from the terrible morning sun and looked again. Wait. Was that her? There was a lanky figure about three hundred feet into the brush moving toward her. How had Tori gotten so far away so fast? She leaned onto the top of her car, waiting for the Tori-figure to get closer. Yeah, it was her.

“What the hell was that?” Jade asked, once Tori was in earshot.

Tori’s arms flailed. “I was in the moment!” She trudged through the low brush toward Jade. “I stand by the fact that I’d rather jump from the car then be buried alive.”

“So noted.”

Finally, she was back in the car and Jade dropped back into her seat. Tori shut the passenger door and turned to look at Jade who, without hesitation, grabbed Tori’s chin with one hand and pulled her right in for a kiss.

Clearly caught off guard, Tori mumbled briefly against Jade’s lips before subsiding with a tiny moan, her hand sliding past Jade’s jaw to settle at the nape of her neck. Jade’s hand was cradling Tori’s neck in a similar way, her other hand sliding down to softly grip Tori’s hip. This wasn’t the plan; they were supposed to go find a parking lot or something to do this, but after nearly losing Tori in the desert, Jade realized that was stupid. They were on the shoulder of a deserted road, where no one had a reason to go, and no one could possibly interrupt them. Seriously, if Sinjin popped up here, he was a demon or a wizard or maybe both. And Tori’s skin was warm from the sun, her mouth was eager, and Jade couldn’t possibly wait any longer to kiss her like she’d been wanting to for days.

Tori’s body turned more fully toward Jade, her left arm propped against the center console and resting just below Jade’s ribcage, her right sliding down to Jade’s shoulder as their tongues met tentatively, the kisses gradually getting less restrained. Jade gripped Tori’s hip tighter, and Tori’s hand trailed down Jade’s arm and then slipped down to her stomach, grabbing a handful of Jade’s flannel. Their upper bodies were getting closer, and Jade angled her right arm around Tori’s shoulder to pull her in.

There was a small noise in Tori’s throat as their bodies pressed as close as they could, and Jade knew from the hand on Tori’s hip that her pelvis was flush against the center console, trying in vain to put as little space between them as possible.

They kissed long enough for several songs to cycle through on the radio, and for their hands to wander. Jade felt Tori’s hand tugging at her flannel shirt, adjusting her grip as if she could possibly pull Jade closer. Tori’s left hand was gentle on her neck and in her hair, more frenetic as she dug fingers into Jade’s shoulder blades. But Jade was keenly aware of Tori’s right hand, especially when it slid under Jade’s arm to caress and grab at her shirt around her ribcage and hip, and Jade’s heart thrummed more madly than it already was as she thought about Tori’s hand slipping up to touch her elsewhere.

They finally pulled apart when a particularly obnoxious commercial came on the radio, one that was enough to completely break Jade out of her focus on Tori Vega and her ridiculously soft lips and her obscenely smooth skin and her stupid good-smelling hair. She glared at the radio, sighing in irritation, and comprehended the time on her clock. “Chiz,” she breathed, chuckling.

“What?” Tori asked dazedly, following Jade’s gaze. “Oh. We’re so late for school,” she said absently.

“Yeah,” Jade agreed. She turned off the radio, silencing the horrible commercial, and looked back at Tori. Her chest was rising with rapid breaths, her cheeks full-on pink. Jade was about to reluctantly suggest that they start heading for school when Tori grabbed the collar of Jade’s flannel and pulled her in once again.

She definitely couldn’t wear this shirt for the rest of the day, after all the ways Tori had manhandled it, she thought dazedly, but she quickly forgot about it as they kissed more. Now Tori’s hand was lingering on her collarbone, and Jade’s hand was back on Tori’s hip, and they were back to frantic, eager kisses.

Maybe it was the silence, with no car radio, but these kisses didn’t last quite as long. They pulled away, still reluctant, Tori’s fingers now gently tracing Jade’s jaw. She surged in for one more kiss, then sighed, “I guess we’d better go to school.”

“Yeah,” Jade agreed reluctantly. She had a free period at the start of the day on Fridays, and she didn’t think anyone would notice her absence, but if they were both super late, then the whole premise of their video wouldn’t add up.

She put the car in gear as Tori pulled a water bottle out of her monstrous purse, and jerked the wheel to pull a u-turn. Tori shouted in exasperation as she splashed water on herself. “Jade!”

Jade glanced over. She hadn’t meant to do that, but it was funny. “Sorry,” she grinned, “But hey, you do need to look like you just walked through the wilderness to get to school.”

Tori flipped down the visor, “I mean, I look pretty disheveled already,” she said slyly, glancing at Jade. “You might need to, uh…”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll freshen up. Actually, hang on.” Jade pulled over onto the shoulder again, reaching behind Tori’s seat for her purse. Tori watched her with interest, and Jade instructed, “Turn to me.”

Tori looked apprehensive but hopeful as she shifted in her seat, but then her eyes fell to Jade’s eyeshadow kit, “What’re you--Ah!” She jerked away as Jade thrust the makeup brush at her forehead.

“You also have to _look_ like you jumped out of the car.”

“I _did_ jump out of the car!” Tori protested.

“Hold still!” And Jade grabbed her chin again. Tori went still, and Jade felt her pulse quicken as she thought about kissing Tori again, but instead she swiped the brush over Tori’s forehead, creating an earthy brown smudge. She dusted some over Tori’s whole face, added some onto her shirtsleeve for good measure and then pulled back, assessing her work in satisfaction. “There.”

Tori tilted the visor and looked at her face. “Great,” she muttered, “I look like a mess.”

“You do,” Jade confirmed, delighted. “But also, I didn’t _ask_ you to jump out of the car.” She paused, “But hey, I admire your commitment to the role.”

Tori turned, smiling hopefully, “You do?”

“Yes,” Jade leaned over for one more kiss, but didn’t let it linger. “Okay, we need to go.”

She flipped down her own visor to check her make-up. _Hoo, boy_. Yeah. Smudge city. At least they’d somehow managed to wear a similar lip color today. Jade touched up her lipstick then tossed her purse into the backseat.

Tori turned the radio back on and, now that the commercial break was over, began to dance in her seat. Jade maybe kind of joined in. A little. Because she felt like it.

-

Saturday night, Tori finally had her freedom. In theory.

Yes, her parents were gone. Yes, she wasn’t “in trouble” anymore. Yes, her friends were all available to hang out. But then that meant she and Jade couldn’t...be alone.

Really, though, they could manage. There was more to life than kissing. Apparently.

Jade was bringing over a movie about killer ticks that was sure to gross everyone out. Beck and Andre had secured five large pizzas and a huge variety pack of Wahoo Punch, while Robbie and Cat were in charge of napkins.

“And boy, do we have napkins!” Robbie wheeled a wagon stacked with paper napkins of every color into the Vega living room.

“I tapped it!” Cat announced. She’d been buying discounted items all week with her Tap It app.

The gang spread across the sofas in the Vega living room, Beck and Andre on one, trying to unsuccessfully prevent Trina from wedging between them. Robbie and Cat sat on the other, wanting to be close to their Napkin Wagon. There was really only room for one more body on the couch.

Tori glanced at Jade. She’d wanted to sit by her for the movie, but being in a non-defined make-outship with someone didn’t really make it clear to their friends that maybe they wanted to sit together.

All that aside, Tori was hosting the party, so it made sense to offer the seat. “Go ahead.”

“I can sit on the floor,” Jade insisted.

“That won’t be comfortable.”

“I _like_ uncomfortable.”

“Here, Cat, smoosh with me,” suggested Robbie. “We can make room.”

Cat giggled and shifted over saying, “Smoosh!” as she knocked into him.

“Fine, I’ll sit,” said Jade, flopping down and letting one leg take up the remaining space meant for Tori at the end of the seat.

“Really?” Tori asked.

“Come on, Jade,” Andre piped in, “let the girl sit.”

“If she wants it bad enough, she’ll figure it out,” Jade replied.

Tori’s eyebrows shot upward. Well, she did want it. “Will you move?”

“I don’t think so. I’m very comfortable.”

“You just said you liked being uncomfortable!”

“Maybe I’m punishing myself.”

Tori’s eyes narrowed and she shook her head. Jade was playing a version of her old games, but it felt different now that they were...whatever they were. “Fine.” She grabbed Jade’s ankle, raised her leg and slipped under it so that when she sat, it draped over her lap.

But she’d left her pizza on the coffee table. She leaned forward to get it, but Jade’s leg held her back.

“If you’re not going to let me up, can you please pass me my food.”

“Okay, only because I want to,” Jade replied. “Cat, get Tori her pizza.”

“Kay kay,” chimed Cat.

The evening progressed normally. Robbie thought potpourri was candy. Cat’s the one who fed it to him. Andre kept texting a hot girl he’d met. Beck dodged Trina’s advances. Jade laughed when Tori fell off the back of the couch. Pretty standard for their group.

But as people began leaving (Andre on his way to meet the texty lady, Robbie because his stomach hurt, and Beck to get a break from Trina trying to steal a lock of his hair for chiz-knows-what), it became more apparent to Tori that she really longed for a few non-group dynamic moments with Jade.

Trina had gone upstairs after Beck left, but Cat was still there, waiting for her brother to pick her up. “That was really wild, huh? Riding the party bus today?” She’d used her app to score a party bus pick-up for Tori since they’d all had to go to school for their monthly acting workshop.

Tori was making tea and decaf coffee for the three of them in the kitchen. “Yeah, and meeting Dr. Rhapsody was so cool. Definitely one of the best rides to school this week.”

Jade smirked from her spot on the couch. “Well, chiz, I wonder what could top that?”

“Oh! I know!” said Cat.

Tori immediately whipped a look from Cat to Jade back to Cat. “Uh, you do?”

“Yeah,” Cat nodded. “Robbie’s car of the future.”

“That thing’s two bicycles with a--” Tori caught herself. “Yep. Wow. It sure was exciting.” She carried two steamy mugs over to where Cat and Jade sat on the sofas, setting them on the coffee table. “Sugar cookie tea and a coffee, two sugars.”

Cat carefully blew onto the hot liquid, the steam billowing up and off of the surface of the drink. She laughed. “So steamy.”

Jade barely blinked at the heat as she brought her own cup to her lips, but then she immediately sputtered the mouthful she’d just sipped. “What the chiz is _this_?”

“I put exactly two sugars in it, like you said.”

“But what’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing?” Tori was sure it was fine. She drank it all the time. “It’s just regular decaf coffee.”

Jade seemed genuinely enraged. “You served me _decaf?_ ” She rose to her feet and marched straight to the sink, where she poured it out.

“Jade, it’s ten-thirty at night.”

“So?”

“So, most people don’t drink regular coffee this late.”

“Maybe I’m trying to stay up for something important,” Jade stated.

Tori had an idea what that something might be and she considered brewing an entire pot of regular.

Cat’s phone rang. All Tori could hear from it when she answered was muffled screaming. “Kay kay,” said Cat, then she hung up. “My brother can’t come get me.”

“Oh,” Tori’s face fell. The only people left with cars were Trina and Jade. And, despite how much she would have loved time with Jade, she really didn’t think it was fair to subject anyone to time alone Trina if it wasn’t necessary.

“I’ll give you a ride,” Jade offered. “Assuming I don’t fall asleep at the wheel,” as she pushed past Tori, she gave her a nudge with her arm.

Tori nudged back. “I know you’re fueled by the dark of night, so you’ll be fine.” She walked them both to the door, Cat’s wagon of napkins trailing behind her.

Jade handed her keys to Cat. “Here, you can start loading in, I’ll be there in a sec. I just have to ask Tori about a thing.”

“About her moustache?” Cat asked. At the blank stares, she continued, “You know, how you kept it looking so nice.”

“Oh, uh. It was a tiny comb,” replied Tori.

Cat giggled and pulled her napkins down the walkway.

Jade stepped back inside the open doorway, so she was out of Cat’s view from the street. She cupped Tori’s jaw with one hand and brought her in for a soft, just on the far side of chaste kiss. Tori let her breath out as they pulled apart, wondering if it would always feel this profoundly cathartic to kiss Jade, like all the wild energy building up in her body uncoiled even as her passion and eagerness awakened.

To her surprise, Jade leaned in for one more kiss, this one just as short but much less chaste, and Tori only barely suppressed a groan as Jade pulled away, looking deeply satisfied.

“Text you later,” Jade said, her eyes running up and down Tori’s body before she walked away.

“Goodnight,” Tori called after both of them.

She watched as Jade got in the car and started it before she decided she was being a total creep and closed the door.

She almost jumped a mile when she saw that Trina was standing at the foot of the staircase. She opened her mouth to say something, but had no idea where to even start.

“Everyone left?” Trina asked, “Finally. I need to do a facial.”

Tori closed her mouth and took a deep breath. Maybe Trina hadn’t seen anything. Tori started cleaning up some of the leftover trash in the living room while Trina dug around in the refrigerator. When Tori came back up from the garage after throwing the pizza boxes away, Trina was sitting at the dining room table, smearing something unidentifiable on her face.

“What _is_ that?” Tori asked, concerned.

“Egg, relish, and sea salt,” Trina replied, stretching her jaw down to smear some under her nose.

“Uh...are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Of course,” Trina replied, irritated, “I read about it on Pinterest.”

“You know _anyone_ can post stuff on there, right?” Tori asked.

“ _Tor-i_!” Trina snapped, “I know what I’m doing. When does my skin ever look anything but flawless?”

Tori looked away, and decided that just not answering would be a better move. “Right,” was all she said, as she backed away and headed upstairs.

It wasn’t long before she had a text from Jade.

**Just dropped Cat off.**

**If you’re going to be up for awhile I could come back**

Tori groaned in frustration. She absolutely wanted Jade to come back. She thought about having Jade in her room with her, on her _bed_ with her, and felt her whole face grow hot.

**Maybe not a good idea**

**Trina is downstairs doing one of her condiment facials**

**I don’t know how long she’ll be**

**Gross**

**What is wrong with her?**

**I ask myself every day**

**Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?**

Tori wanted that, desperately. But it had also been a crazy week, and with all the extra chores her parents had heaped on her, plus the longer rides home from school--not that she minded those--her homework was starting to pile up.

**I don’t know. I have a lot of homework**

**Whatever.**

**It’s fine**

Tori had a feeling it wasn’t fine. But she didn’t really know what else to say about it. Even having seen this new part of Jade, she was still moody and unpredictable.

She stared up at her ceiling, thinking about what might have happened if Jade could’ve stayed later. It was something she wanted but did it just mean more of what they’d been doing all week? Which was fine. So, so fine. But there was also a heated feeling that swelled up in her when she thought about what else there could be. Yes, okay, she’d never, you know, _done it_. She’d barely even really done much on her own. Like, sure, she understood the mechanics of it and had experimented a couple times, but she really didn’t see what the big deal was. Or...she hadn’t before. Now, maybe she was beginning to understand there was more to it.

She wondered if Jade felt the same way she did after they kissed, like the world was spinning around her, like she was weightless, like that one roller coaster at Mystic Mountain with the corkscrew turns that gave her such a headrush.

Thinking about Jade made Tori decide she needed to send her something. After the “interesting” incident about the movie, she didn’t want Jade to think she was blowing her off. She crept back downstairs to find Trina lying back in the kitchen chair, her face up toward the ceiling, arms open and resting on the table. Her eyes were closed, probably to keep all the relish out of them.

Tori snapped a pic.

“Hello?” Trina startled. “Tori?”

But Tori didn’t say anything back to her. She quietly ascended the stairs and sent the pic to Jade, hoping it was enough.

Apparently, it was.

**Sick**

**IKR**

**Coffee tomorrow at 3?**

**I promise no decaf**

**You’d better**

**Trust me, I learned my lesson**

**Good**

**See you tomorrow**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Wherever You Are_ by Kesha.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode events of:
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Driving Tori Crazy (3.08)
> 
>   
> 
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is a Virgin Who Can't Drive:**
> 
> Friday had arrived, which meant they were only one day away from Saturday, which meant the Platinum Music Awards and finally the end of the interactive reality show that was Pop Star Tori Vega. But then what? Would Tori go on tour and never speak to any of them ever again? Would she dramatically return the next semester with a documentary crew to reconnect with her roots? When Tori had first been selected Jade was _excited_ for her. All of these classes they attended and the shows they put up, they were to catch the attention of someone who wanted to pay you to make your art professionally. But maybe that was the problem, it didn’t seem very artistic. It seemed like a scam to trick people into clicking links and tuning in and buying records.
> 
> None of that seemed very much like the Tori that Jade knew. The one who wore a fake moustache for fun, the one naive enough to bring a cannabis cookie to school, the one who dove from a moving car in the desert. The one Jade liked, kind of, a lot. She was worried that Tori might never come back.


	6. You got to me, you saw through me, you're in for it now.

By the next Wednesday, Jade thought she and Tori were in a pretty good place. Coffee on Sunday had been fun, especially the part where they made out in the parking lot of the Jet Brew for awhile until even Jade had to admit that she probably needed to go home and finish her homework. They’d seen each other at school on Monday and Tuesday, and texted in between, but they’d both been a little busy. Tori had even gotten roped into helping Robbie rub his grandmother’s feet the night before, which was repulsive. But Jade wasn’t about to get upset if Tori wanted to spend some time with friends. They were just making out, after all, it wasn’t like they were anything else to each other. So she’d ended up hanging out with Cat that evening, who wanted to go to the candy store. Ridiculous, but par for the course for an evening with Cat, she supposed. Besides, it was always fun to tell Cat things like how they made food dye or gelatin and watch her struggle between her love of sugar and her absolute horror.

Wednesday had been interesting only because she, Cat, Andre and Beck had found out how Trina actually got into Hollywood Arts, straight from the source himself, Sikowitz. They’d been swapping rumors all day, and Jade had even texted Tori to ask her directly how it had happened, though it turned out that Tori had left her phone in her locker and gotten trapped at Nozu with Robbie for much longer than a lunch hour. Fortunately, Sikowitz was extremely late to class, so Tori didn’t really miss much other than all the wrong stories about Trina. Robbie didn’t return with her, for some reason that Jade didn’t care about.

Whatever had happened at Nozu, though, had left its mark. Because Tori _reeked_ of squid.

Jade had been considering offering Tori a ride home today to give them a little time together, but she was seriously second-guessing that now. However, as she stopped at her locker in the afternoon, she was aware that Tori was on the other side of it. Her nose curled in disgust. “What, Vega?” she asked just before she slammed her locker shut.

Tori stood putting more distance between them than usual. She looked miserable. “Um,” she started, “Trina refused to give me a ride home today, because of the...squid situation.”

“She’s smarter than she looks,” Jade commented, raising an eyebrow at Tori.

Tori’s shoulders slumped. She leaned back even further from Jade. “I get it,” she said, “I’ll ask someone else.”

“Tori.”

Her tone stopped Tori entirely. Everything in body posture was so mournful in a way that Jade didn’t think she’d seen before. Of all the times she’d tried to hurt Tori over the years, she hadn’t even come close to the misery of eau de squid-Tori. Seeing Tori so dejected made Jade feel a painful pang in her own chest, and that was new and confusing.

Tori was still looking at her with hurt and confusion all over her face. Jade sighed. “You realize you didn’t even _ask_ me yet.”

Tori’s expression softened in hope. “Will you give me a ride?” she asked.

Jade’s every instinct was to say no. It was exactly what she liked to do to get a reaction from Tori, and even though they’d added kissing to their sort-of friendship, that kind of dynamic was still absolutely part of their interactions. But she thought about that heaviness in her chest when she saw Tori’s misery, the way Tori looked hopeful and her eyes had brightened slightly when she asked.

And that was how Jade found herself saying yes to driving Tori home.

By the end of the day, she was certain she’d lost her mind. There was no way she was getting close enough to Tori to actually kiss her. She waited in her car with all of the windows rolled down, anticipating the squid smell. She’d already gotten a whiff in class and that room was like fifty times bigger than the inside of her car.

Tori appeared outside the passenger door. “Are you sure?”

“Just _get in_ before I realize this is a bad idea.”

When Tori sat down, Jade popped open the center console, whipped out a small aerosol can, and immediately began spraying. “Oooookay, here we go.”

“What is that?” Tori waved the fumes away from her face and leaned back.

“It’s my citrus car deodorizer. And it doesn’t work if you keep moving away from it.” The spray kind of worked. At least the stronger smell of the two was oranges. “Chill out, it’s natural.” Jade glanced at the label. “I think.”

They began the drive and Tori began to relay the highlights of her squid-tastrophe. “And then it turns out Robbie’s phone isn’t even connected, which...he’s so weird. Anyway, Mrs. Lee made us chop like a million squids while singing the Squid Chopping Song and--”

“Wait. _Wait._ There was a song?”

“ _No_. I’m not singing it.”

“Come on,” Jade insisted.

“Fine, okay?!” Tori’s arms were extra unwieldy. “Is that what you want? For me to relive one of the most humiliating experiences of my life?” She began aggressively singing about chopping squid and disappointed fathers.

“Whoa,” Jade reached for Tori’s flailing arm. “Okay, I get it. It sucked.”

“Yeah, it _sucked_. I even yelled at Mrs. Lee.”

Jade was impressed. Mrs. Lee was a tough lady. Tori had a reputation for being kind of a chill, regular girl, but Jade felt like she’d seen Tori get aggressive enough times to know that wasn’t accurate. In this case, she was kind of bummed she missed seeing Tori in action.

There was also the complicated detail that, despite smelling like a specialty dish at a sushi bar, Tori looked good. A little disheveled, but...hot. Especially with all the contentious energy rolling off of her right now.

She was already pulling into Tori’s driveway as Tori still fumed about her squid catastrophe. Jade glanced at her as she rolled to a stop. This sucked. She definitely wanted to kiss her right now, but...getting that much closer to the squid odor was too much to bear.

“I have to go take like a hundred showers,” Tori said, sighing. She was already reaching for the door handle. Apparently, she didn’t feel much like kissing, either.

“Yeah, you do,” Jade agreed as Tori got out. “And I have to figure out how to get this smell out of my car.”

“Thanks for the ride,” Tori said, leaning down to peer through the open door.

“Sure,” Jade let her gaze linger on her, her unruly hair and the slight flush of her cheeks. Yeah. This was an image she maybe wanted to store for later. “See you tomorrow.”

Once at home, Jade texted Tori.

**Wash the squid off yourself yet?**

It was a good thirty minutes before Tori replied.

**Yes. Finally.**

**You chopped Squidward!?**

**No!**

**Ugh I’ll never forgive Robbie**

**Me neither**

**He made us miss out on our driveway time**

**I knowwww**

**I really wanted to kiss you**

**Me too**

**You looked really good**

**Guess it was all the squid oil**

**:{(**

Jade smirked at the moustache emoji. At least Tori still had her weird sense of humor.

**It’s alright**

**We’ll make up for it tomorrow**

**:{)**

After school the next day, Jade was again waiting for Tori in the parking lot, though the air of anticipation was completely different. Tori had a distinct spring in her step as she approached the car, and Jade unlocked the door to let her in.

She slid into the passenger’s seat and sniffed, “It smells like coffee in here.” Her eyes dropped to the cupholder, and she picked up a cup full of coffee grounds. “Oh. Um. Why is this here?”

“To absorb the squid smell,” Jade shot Tori a glare, but a playful one. “I had to grind up perfectly good coffee just to leave it in my car.” There were several other cups and sachets of coffee scattered through the car, but the one in the cupholder was probably the largest.

“Wow,” Tori blinked, “I’m sorry. I am never forgiving Robbie,” she vowed again. She sniffed thoughtfully. “I think...I think I still smell a little bit of squid.”

“You think?” Jade sniped. But she wasn’t really that mad. The coffee smell was far stronger, and driving in a car that smelled like something she actually loved was a bonus as far as she was concerned. “It’s not that big of a deal though,” she admitted to Tori, “It’s actually decaf.”

“I’m glad you didn’t have to waste any drinkable coffee covering up my trauma,” Tori smirked.

“You’re lucky you’re cute. You know, from certain angles. I never would’ve let you in my car yesterday otherwise.” Jade felt oddly exposed as she said it, though she was certain it wasn’t actually news that she liked how Tori looked. Sometimes. Okay, a lot.

Tori didn’t answer, but she was smiling softly.

They pulled into the Vega driveway moments later, and neither of them were very interested in talking at that point. As soon as the parking brake rasped into place, they were both leaning in for a kiss.

Even through the coffee, Jade could smell Tori’s shampoo as their lips connected. It was stupid that even just that was enough to make her excited sometimes. They started slow, as if savoring the moment, their first kisses in almost four days. It was also stupid that Jade had been counting.

But Jade soon felt Tori’s hand at her side, fingers bunching the fabric and pulling her closer. It was enough to change the intensity of their kisses in an instant, heads tilting, tongues emerging, pressing closer together over the center console of Jade’s car. Her hand had been cupping Tori’s jaw, and now it slid back into her hair, fingertips lightly digging into Tori’s scalp. Tori’s hands were gripping Jade’s shirt on both sides of her body, pulling steadily, as if any distance between them was unacceptable. Their upper bodies were already pressed together, and Jade was keenly aware of the way Tori’s breasts felt against hers, even through the several layers of fabric that separated them. It was especially apparent when Tori would shift, as if trying to get closer, as they continued kissing wildly.

Jade had adjusted to the ebb and flow of their time together, knowing that they could really only count on a few minutes here and there, so things couldn’t ever progress past the (very incredible excellent) kissing they were currently engaged in. And she was content with what they were doing. But she’d also been in a really long relationship with Beck where they’d had the extreme privacy of his trailer and were able to explore with each other on their own timeline.

There had been the hope of having some time alone with Tori over the weekend, but that had been squashed pretty easily. Finding time after school wasn’t always practical, especially this time of year with the various shows, the Full Moon Jam, class projects...spring session was always the heavier workload because it was a showcase season to attempt to book performance gigs over the summer.

Which is all to say that Jade wasn’t looking to pressure Tori in any capacity, but on days like today, when the kisses were more aggressive and Tori’s hands were all over her without being _all over her,_ Jade wondered what they might get up to if they were able to be left alone for even just an hour.

Maybe Tori was having a similar thought, because when Trina pulled into the driveway, blaring her car horn, Tori shot upright and shouted, “ _What?!_ ” She glared out the window at her sister, who was still in her own car, wailing along to whatever song she was ruining. “Why is she even honking, you’re parked far enough over to let her in,” Tori groaned, “She’s such a grunch.”

“Harsh words. Not that I disagree.”

“Let’s just go in,” Tori said, reaching for her giant bag.

“Sure,” Jade agreed absently. She took a deep breath as she prepared to get out of the car, trying to get the heat and nerves that were flowing through her body to dissipate. Meanwhile, Tori was already out of the car, slamming the door and stomping toward Trina.

“Trina!” Tori shouted, “What is _wrong_ with you?!”

Jade missed whatever response accompanied Trina’s dramatic eye roll, but it didn’t matter, because she needed to take another moment. Tori’s focused fury at her sister was compelling to watch, and paired with her mussed hair, pink cheeks, plumped lips, and the blaze of antagonism in her eyes, it wasn’t making it any easier to tamp down the desire that was smoldering in Jade’s body.

Jade was still discovering new things about Tori, but she’d also been watching her for long enough that she was pretty good at reading her. Not that it was ever particularly hard, as Tori tended to express her emotions pretty openly. But right now, Jade was pretty sure that Tori’s fight with Trina was her own version of Jade’s deep breaths and attempts to compose herself. Jade would deal with her pent up energy later, alone in her bedroom, whereas Tori was pouring hers out onto a convenient target.

Yeah, Jade was pretty sure they were on the same page about wanting more time to explore together.

Jade stepped out of the car as the Vega sisters were yelling over each other in the driveway. Tori saw her and brushed passed Trina with a final “ _Gank!_ ” and began striding toward the front door, Jade at her heels.

“Why is _she_ even here?!” Trina called after them both. Neither of them answered.

Once they were inside the house and away from Trina, Tori appeared to start calming down a little. Tori’s mom was sitting at the dining room table as they came in, though, and Tori did apparently have one more venomous “What is _wrong_ with Trina?” in her, this time directed at her mom.

“No one knows, sweetie,” was her mom’s absent, seemingly automatic, response. Tori sighed and headed into the kitchen. Jade tossed her bag onto one of the couches in front of the TV, and was about to sit down, when Tori’s mom seemed to notice her. “Oh, hi Jade,” she greeted with a smile. Even so, Jade got the sense she was being sized up.

“Hi, Mrs. Vega,” she replied.

Before she could start attempting an awkward exchange with Tori’s mom, Trina came in through the front door. She glared at Jade, then at Tori, then whined at her mom, “Mom! Tori’s being a total grunch.”

“Work it out, girls,” was the blasé response.

Trina groaned in frustration and stomped toward the stairs. Jade took the opportunity to make herself at home on one of the couches, digging her DVD copy of _Much Ado About Nothing_ out of her bag. It was the classical Kenneth Branagh version from the 90s, which they were supposed to compare to the more contemporary Joss Whedon adaptation they’d watched in class after reading the play. Then they were supposed to write an essay about various styles of adaptation. On paper, it was a pretty dry assignment, but it tapped right into Jade’s interests of dramatics, film, and people who can really sling an insult.

She noticed the familiar sound of a coffee machine dripping, and the scent of it wafted to her nose. She perked up, gazing toward the kitchen. Tori was walking back toward the couch with a glass of water. “Coffee’s on,” she told Jade, unnecessarily, “Do you want some water, too?”

Jade shrugged. “Sure, why not?” Tori set down the glass of water in front of Jade. Jade was pretty sure it had been intended for Tori, because Tori walked back toward the kitchen to get another one. Jade glanced over and saw that Tori’s mom was watching them, and she forced herself to ignore both Vega women as she dug around in her school bag, pulling out a notebook and pen and pretending she needed a moment to find a blank page.

Tori was back a minute or so later with another glass of water for herself and a cup of coffee for Jade. Jade took a sip. Tori had added the two sugars. It was then that Jade realized Tori wasn’t drinking any coffee herself.

Tori seemed to hesitate, but ultimately put her glass of water down next to Jade’s. She took the DVD case that Jade handed her and put it in the player before joining Jade on the sofa. They weren’t sitting that close, but it was almost like Jade could feel her next to her, anyway. Tori reached into her own monstrous purse and pulled out a notebook, then nodded to Jade. “Okay. Ready?”

“Ready,” Jade confirmed. Tori picked up the remote and they started the film.

Partway through the film, Tori’s mom walked over and set down a platter with tortilla chips, salsa, and some kind of creamy dip.

“Thanks, Mrs. Vega,” Jade replied, remembering her manners. It felt awkward, because it wasn’t a skill she used much. She didn’t think she’d ever bothered trying to make a good impression on Beck’s parents, but then, they hadn’t interacted much. Beck’s trailer meant that he lived rather independently for a teenager.

“Um, yeah, thanks, Mom,” Tori replied, looking confused and suspicious.

“Enjoy, girls,” Mrs. Vega replied, heading upstairs. Jade thought it was kind of nice. She couldn’t remember that last time her own mother had brought her a snack when she was working on something.

“She _never_ does this,” Tori hissed at Jade when she was out of earshot.

Jade raised an eyebrow, and dipped a chip in the creamy dip to taste it. Onion dip. Of course.

She wondered just how calculated this snack was.

The irony was that, for now, Jade’s full attention was on homework. Even Tori was scribbling notes pretty consistently. Shakespeare could be hit or miss for Jade. She generally preferred the weirder stuff, the plays with ghosts ( _Hamlet_ ) or faeries ( _Midsummer_ ) or witches ( _Macbeth_ ). Her favorite was obviously _Titus Andronicus_ , which was basically a slasher movie before they had movies. _Much Ado_ was an unlikely choice for her to enjoy, let alone own a copy of, being that it was basically a big epic rom-com, but she’d seen it at theatre camp and something about the barbs exchanged between Beatrice and Benedick had thrilled her. All they did was insult each other to the point that they fell in love.

There had always been the hope that someone might challenge her in that same way, someone who wasn’t afraid of a little conflict. That had definitely not been her experience with Beck. He was so easy going, he never wanted to fight, it always took a lot of effort to get him to argue. Or he’d just get bossy and tell her to be nice to people.

Tori on the other hand...well, okay, she didn’t want to get too far ahead of herself. She and Tori were just hanging out. Hanging out and kissing. But Jade did start to consider that maybe she wanted to do more. Tori would push back when Jade instigated conflict. It was sometimes _why_ Jade did it. It was also why Jade would come back with more instead of backing down, at least to a point. Tori also had this way of making Jade feel like she didn’t need to take on the world, knives out. Or, well, scissors out.

It was a good thing Jade had seen this movie at least ten times, because she’d kind of zoned out wondering if Tori was maybe the Benedick to her Beatrice (Tori was the dude because of the obsession with facial hair, obviously). Not that anything was ever exactly like these age-old stories. But maybe they were close enough, in this case.

The movie ended just as Trina clomped down the stairs. She dramatically rolled her eyes at Jade’s presence. “She’s _still_ here?”

“Yeah, well, don’t get your granny panties in a bunch, I’m about to go home,” said Jade, packing her notebook and DVD into her bag. She really did have plans to do some video editing before starting in on this essay. “But only because I want to.”

“Well, I’m glad all of that’s over. Those Shakespeare people make no sense,” commented Trina.

“Trina, you go to a _performing arts_ school,” said Tori.

“Yeah,” condescended Trina, “where we do plays _in English_.” She huffed her way into the garage to do chiz-knows-what.

“I’m glad you could at least come over,” Tori said, watching Jade pack up. “Even with all the chaos.”

“The free chips were kind of cool.”

Tori eyed the now-empty dishes. “Yeah, still so weird.”

“ _Tori!_ ” screamed Trina from the garage entrance off the kitchen. “Dad wants your help carrying stuff in from Wanko’s.”

“It never stops,” Tori mused. “Next time can we do homework at your house?”

Jade considered the question. Tori had never been to her house. “Depends.”

“On?”

“Are you afraid of things in jars?”

“What, like fruit?”

“Like body parts.” Tori shivered as Jade smirked and slung her bag over her shoulder.

“You don’t have body parts in jars.”

“Don’t I?”

-

Tori would finally get a chance to find out if Jade, in fact, did have jars of body parts that following Sunday. They’d made plans to hang out and, “whatever.” But then that, morning, Tori had a text:

**So my dad dropped off my dumb brother and I have to watch him**

**That’s okay**

**I still want to come over**

**If you want me to**

**It means we’ll have to just hang out**

**Yeah**

**I like just hanging out**

As much as Tori hated that they were always fighting for their alone time, she genuinely did like watching tv or scrolling through The Slap with Jade. Anyway, Jade’s little brother was supposed to be ten or something, so he could probably entertain himself.

Which was pretty accurate. When she’d arrived at Jade’s, they’d cruised through the kitchen for sodas, then headed down to Jade’s room, which wasn’t quite a basement, but it was lower than the other part of the house. Kind of like the garage at the Vega house. Tori had seen part of the room on group video chat, so she knew to expect the deep purples and reds, framed with black. Basically, it looked a lot like Jade. Gothic and moody, but also endlessly faceted. Candles, pictures of Joan Jett, dried flowers, and animal skulls were scattered throughout the space. One side of the room was almost covered in a wide bookshelf of movies and books about movies with an entire section dedicated to a display of _The Scissoring_.

And then there were the jars that lined the shelf next to Jade’s desk. Tori took a long hard look to try and determine what was floating inside. There was one that she recognized.

“Hey, the fatty lump!” Tori recalled the trip to the hospital when Rex almost “died.”

“Yep. I’m surprised it held up this long. Though it’s probably time to change the formaldehyde.”

“Um, you can just _get_ formaldehyde?”

“ _I_ can.”

Tori didn’t doubt it.

“Jade,” came a young voice from outside her room.

“What?” Jade sighed.

Her brother, Jeremy, appeared in the doorway at the top of the steps. “I’m hungry.”

“So, go make a sandwich.”

He hesitated. “Where’s the bread?”

“Try the bread box, genius.”

They were left alone while he disappeared, presumably into the kitchen. Tori thought he was a pretty quiet, nice kid. It was weird that he was related to Jade.

“Jade!” came Jeremy’s voice from down the hall.

“ _What?!_ ”

“Where’s the peanut butter?”

Jade shouted back through gritted teeth. “In the cabinet. Above the bread box.”

“If you need to help him--” Tori began.

“He’s fine.”

“Jade!”

“Okay, now he dies,” Jade stomped out of the room and upstairs.

Tori didn’t know if she should just wait in the bedroom or follow Jade. Though maybe she should be a witness just in case a crime was committed.

She followed the hall to the kitchen to see Jade clanking things around in the fridge until she pulled out a jar of grape jelly, twisted off the lid and tossed it on the counter, then began aggressively spreading jelly on one of the pieces of bread in front of her. Next came the peanut butter (though Tori noted Jade made an effort to clean the knife first). Jade slapped the pieces together, dropped it on a plate, and handed it to her brother.

“Here.”

Jeremy took the plate but just stared at the sandwich. “Mom cuts it in half.”

Jade grabbed the sandwich and threw it back on the cutting board on the counter. She drew a huge knife from the butcher’s block and very deliberately chopped the sandwich in two.

Once the kid was satisfied with his snack, he vanished and left them alone.

“Younger siblings are so annoying,” Jade said, dropping all the used dishes in the sink.

“Hey, _I’m_ the younger sibling.”

“And you’re annoying,” Jade replied. But her expression softened as she tugged on the sleeve of Tori’s shirt. “Come on, I didn’t get to tell you about the gallstones Andre’s grandma gave me.”

-

That week, the news broke that Mason Thornesmith was conducting a talent search for the Platinum Music Awards and everyone at Hollywood Arts was scrambling to meet the forty-eight hour deadline.

Jade already had a song she’d workshopped that she wanted to use for her submission, so she rehearsed for an afternoon, then recorded her entry. She thought her video was good, but she wanted some feedback before she submitted it to SuperstarBAM.com, so she shot messages to both Andre and Tori. Andre would give her a quality critique and Tori...well, Tori’s opinion just mattered to her, in general. She received a reply from Andre within fifteen minutes:

**You look great!**

**You sound great!**

**Your levels are good and audio quality is solid** 👍

Tori, however, took much longer to even just text back.

**Sorry! I’m still going through possible songs for my own audition**

**I’ll watch in a bit, I promise!**

But Jade didn’t want to wait and she was annoyed that Tori didn’t seem to have even five minutes to watch a single video for her...friend. Or whatever they were. Everyone was kind of in a state of madness over this, so Jade chalked Tori’s flakiness up to the status quo, though she was really treading on thin ice having been irritatingly sparse with their communication. Jade didn’t hear anything at all from Tori the next night, so she didn’t even know if Tori had met the deadline.

Apparently she had, because the next day Mason Thornesmith was there in the hallway of Hollywood Arts with like a zillion people, telling Tori she’d been selected. Tori, who had mustard on her face and had to spit her sandwich into Beck’s waiting hands (so disgusting) so she could even accept the deal. Jade had seen the whole thing unfold and, at first, she was genuinely thrilled for Tori. This was a _big deal_ and if it had to happen to someone who wasn’t Jade, Tori was a pretty damn good choice.

But it bothered her way more than she liked that Tori seemed to be celebrating with Beck, instead of her. Watching them embracing while the crowd skittered back out the door to set up a fake second take of the “surprise” announcement was making Jade sick so she slammed her locker and got the hell out of there before she had to catch the replay.

-

Everything was happening so fast. Tori barely remembered the rest of her school day after Mason Thornesmith and the camera crews cleared out. At home, after her parents met with the legal team from Neutronium Records, they wanted to celebrate, so Tori went out to dinner with her parents that night (Trina refused to go, incredulous that she hadn’t been picked). Her friends were all happy for her. Beck, of course, hadn’t auditioned and didn’t have any skin in the game, so he was thrilled for her. But even Cat, Andre and Robbie (and Rex), who had, seemed nothing but delighted for her. She knew she would’ve reacted the same way if one of them had won, but it was still a relief to realize there were no hard feelings. They were all studying for careers in rather competitive fields, and things might not always go so smoothly.

And Jade was happy for her.

Tori had been a little apprehensive of Jade’s reaction. She’d taken roles from Jade before, and that had even once led to sabotage. She knew Jade took competition seriously, and she was also uncomfortably aware that she had been so focused on her own audition that she’d never taken the time to give Jade feedback on hers. But when she finally had a moment with Jade in the hallway, after the cameras and record company executives had left, Jade had given her a very sincere congratulations.

It had been an immense relief. Even with the standard push and pull of their relationship, Tori didn’t think she’d be able to handle the whiplash of it right now. Not when things had been going so well for a few weeks. Not when they’d be sharing the most amazing make-out sessions Tori had ever experienced.

Tori was definitely enjoying what they had, even if, in her opinion, they never got enough time alone together. Jade seemed to be thinking along similar lines, but she otherwise seemed content with “liking kissing each other,” so Tori wasn’t about to press. In her limited dating experience, guys were pretty clear about what they wanted in relationships, and Jade herself was never shy about expressing what she wanted in her everyday life. And so far, all Tori had really gotten from her was that she liked kissing her. And Tori was on the same page there, but she thought about Sunday, and how they’d spent the afternoon at Jade’s without even having an opportunity to do more than steal a few kisses here and there, and how it was really just mostly about spending time together. And how much Tori had _liked_ that.

She liked spending time with Jade, even when they weren’t kissing. She liked texting with her, she liked learning new things about her, she liked the performance art and short film they’d made a few weeks ago when she’d jumped out of the car (which, where had that video ended up? Tori couldn’t remember Jade posting it). She was starting to think that maybe she might just like Jade.

And that was scary, a little, because Jade was moody, and grumpy, and according to Beck, Jade hated being happy. But Tori thought about how much it meant to her that Jade had given her a ride home the day she had to chop squid at Nozu, and especially the day they’d hugged in the janitor’s closet when Tori was about to have a breakdown during one of her most emotionally taxing weeks ever.

In fact, it was her growing awareness of those kinds of feelings that had inspired the lyrics to the song she’d finally ended up submitting for the Platinum Music Awards contest, getting her audition in just under the wire.

The next day at school was similar, to the point that Tori wondered why she was even attending if she couldn’t muster the focus to pay attention in her classes. She was meeting with Mr. Thornesmith that afternoon, and it was all she could think about. And with the excitement and chatter of her friends about that very thing, it had only seemed natural to invite some of them to come with her. She wanted Andre with her, of course, since he was not only her best friend but also the person who was really the whole reason she’d gotten into music in the first place. And she’d invited Jade, because this was exciting and she wanted to share it with her.

Of course, Jade had just said, “You didn’t think I’d let you go there alone, did you?” Though when Tori smiled about it, Jade just slammed her locker shut and said, “Maybe I’ll find out why they picked you over me.”

Tori didn’t take it too hard, because Jade waited for her at her locker, and they walked to Sikowitz’s class together. Besides, nothing was going to spoil Tori’s mood over this.

She’d ended up inviting Cat, too, because...well, because she was kind of right there when she and Andre and Jade were discussing it, and Tori couldn’t say no to her excitement.

Which...Tori was buzzing with excitement herself. She tried on seven different shirts before Jade finally helped (see: pointed and said, “wear that one”) her settle on what to wear to the meeting. (Though, Jade also said, “Okay, I didn’t say to wear that goofy-ass blazer” when Tori slipped it on over the black tee.)

It had felt really good to walk into Mason Thornesmith’s office with her friends, even after Andre had humiliated himself in the bathroom with Bruno Mars. She felt buoyed by their support, and even though Jade had taken a jab at Mason for not choosing her video, her presence made Tori feel bolder, like she might actually belong there.

But before long, Tori’s friends were ushered out by the promise of a limo ride to a Bibble factory, and Tori was alone with Mason Thornesmith and his people.

She felt a little awkward as she sat down to talk to them, alone. This was part of the reason she even brought friends with her. She was nervous, and this didn’t help.

A bottle of tuna fish juice and a promise of secrecy later, and she felt more alone than ever.

-

The curiosity was killing Jade.

Their trip to the Bibble factory had been fun for the first five minutes, but then it was just sad watching a bunch of hourly-wage earners load boxes. And no one would answer her question about how often someone lost an arm in the machinery. It had also felt contrived, the record company sending Tori’s support crew out of the room while they talked business, but Tori was tough and could fend for herself. Jade was just itching to know how the meeting had gone.

Texting felt too limited for all the details she expected Tori to spill, so Jade sent a request for a video chat. Tori’s face popped up on the screen of Jade’s PearBook.

“So,” said Jade. “How’d it go?”

“Good! It was...good.” A small, tired smile from Tori. And nothing else.

“And...what did they say?” What was going on? Usually you couldn’t get Tori to shut up when she was excited about something.

“Oh, you know...I’m going to open the show. Rehearsals all week. Stuff like that.” Another weird smile.

Jade was incredulous and wanted to call bullshit, to point out that Tori was acting weird. But she was also working on maybe being kind of nicer. So she deflected with humor. “Okay, did they make you join the Illuminati or something? What’s with all the non-info?”

Tori’s face twisted into a look Jade couldn't quite pinpoint, but it was somewhere in the ballpark of “conflicted.” Before she had a chance to pry for more details, Tori’s PearPhone rang. “Oh, uh, that’s the record company. I have to take this.” The pained look she offered Jade seemed like the most honest thing of the entire video call. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

The chat window went dark as Tori hung up and Jade aggressively clicked it closed. Fine. Whatever. She had homework, anyway.

But she was barely able to get any work done with all the notifications that kept blowing up on her Slap profile. Apparently, the promo team for the awards show were combing through old videos of Tori and her performances at Hollywood Arts, many of which Jade had been a part of and tagged in when they were posted to The Slap. Jade groaned and began to move through the posts, untagging herself. Finally, she was able to get back to work and managed to finish her assignment. If she wasn’t going to catch the eye of a major producer, it was probably a good idea to stay on top of her school work.

The next morning, there were no more notifications from the damn videos, but there also wasn’t any kind of text or dumb meme from Tori. There was, however, a fast-paced video promo on SplashFace of Tori shopping at a boutique the night before, talking about fashion and trying on outfits that looked, to be honest, ridiculous. Like, seriously, the moustache was so much better than whatever this was.

At this point, Tori was pissing her off.

Jade could understand being overwhelmed, she could even understand Tori feeling the need to comply with whatever the record company wanted her to do. This was a big deal, it was the kind of opportunity they all were working toward. But Jade already felt like Tori was changing, literally overnight, all to match some image that wasn’t even real. Unless Tori was secretly a Melrose fashion hipster who loved blowing off her friends.

When Tori walked into Sikowitz’s class late, dressed like some kind of steampunk tooth fairy, it was so obvious it was an act that Jade called her on it, in front of everyone.

“Oh, I’m sorry, were we all supposed to dress stupid today?” Jade inquired. Tori shot her a look, but Jade didn’t care. This was, in fact, stupid.

Sikowitz countered that all Hollywood Arts students had the right to dress as stupidly as they chose while Robbie yammered on about wearing his mom’s dress. At least Robbie’s defense of experimentation was honest.

When Beck asked Tori why she was dressed that way, all Tori could say was, “Just ‘cause.” As if it was no big deal that she was geared up for one of Ke$ha’s music videos set in the apocalypse.

 _Vomit._ “Yeah, just ‘cause she thinks she’s a big star now,” Jade piped from behind Tori.

But Tori held her ground and insisted this was just some casual outfit she decided to throw on. “I mean, this has nothing to do with me singing on the Platinum Music Awards.”

Seriously? Tori hadn’t even been in class for five minutes and she was already doing promo. Jade had no choice but to “liar cough” at her.

“Aw, come on, Jade,” Sikowitz corrected her. “That’s not how you call Tori a liar through cough talk.” He then began to demonstrate and had the entire class join in.

Good, Tori deserved it.

But then Tori did something that was actually very Tori-esque. She doubled down. “Just regular old Tori on a regular old day.” And, okay, she did look like a big nerd up there in front of the class, which was on brand. Until an entire gaggle of paparazzi poured through the open windows of the classroom.

Regular old Tori, yeah right.

Besides, Jade had other friends to worry about. She’d taken Cat to Barney’s Bibblery twice on Friday and the poor girl was in tears when she was finally denied any further sales.

“Maybe Tori can get you some, now that she’s a big star,” Jade mused. It was mostly just an expression of her own annoyance, but Cat seemed to latch onto the idea.

“Yes! I’ll get her to take me to see Mr. Thornesmith and he’ll straighten this all out.”

Jade considered advising against making snack food requests to huge record moguls, but maybe it would be very embarrassing for Tori, so she encouraged Cat. “Oh, yeah. You should march right in there and get that Bibble.”

Jade didn’t even try to text Tori that weekend. And to be fair, Tori hadn’t reached out to her, either. Ever since Jade had called her on her wildly ridiculous fashion shift in class, they hadn’t spoken. Jade knew that this was for the publicity, she knew this wasn’t a choice Tori had made for herself--she had people to make those kinds of choices for her now, after all. What she didn’t understand was why Tori refused to admit it when it was so obvious.

So she left Tori alone. Even though it kind of hurt to do so, but what hurt more was Tori lying to her face. She was really starting to consider how she felt about what might be happening between them, but everything had changed the moment Tori won the contest. Or, if Jade thought about it, the minute the contest was announced, when Tori totally blew her off and, as far as Jade knew, never even watched her audition video. And now...Jade wondered whether they would ever do things like dance in the car, or watch movies in Tori’s living room, or make out in her driveway ever again. It hardly seemed likely, with how quickly everything was changing, and with how completely Tori was shutting her out.

Sunday night, though, a new video on SplashFace was rapidly climbing in popularity. _Tori Vega Goes Crazy_ was the sensational, scandalizing title. Jade clicked curiously.

What she saw was so absurd that she started laughing. Like, cackling in a way that made her glad no one was home to call the authorities.

Tori Vega, dressed like some pervert’s hentai wet dream, apparently mid-tantrum in a fancy restaurant, was approached by former astronaut Bud Alderman, after which she promptly grabbed a plate of ravioli and dumped it down the front of his pants.

“Oh! My stars!” he cried out amidst groans, which was somehow even funnier.

Jade watched it at least a dozen times in a row before she even started to consider its implications.

Clearly a publicity stunt, right? It was so ridiculous she had trouble imagining a natural course of events that would lead up to it.

That seemed obvious enough, but the more Jade thought about it, the less she could be sure about it. Tori _did_ have a temper, and she’d seen her do all sorts of weird things in those moments where she switched from sweet as pie to aggressive as a wolverine. And the video gave no context for why something like this could happen--maybe something huge had set her off. Besides, how _did_ they get former astronaut Bud Alderman to agree to such a stunt?

But at the same time, she knew Tori. Tori would never dress like she was about to star in bad anime porn. And she’d seen Tori when she was actually angry, even just as recently as the week before when she’d yelled at her sister in the driveway. And Tori didn’t look truly angry in this video. Jade even thought she looked a little nervous. She was almost certain Tori wouldn’t actually do this.

And as Jade watched it repeatedly, dissecting every part of it, she grew more and more frustrated that she couldn’t just _ask_ Tori what had happened. But she’d been blown off, and Tori didn’t even have the decency to admit that to her.

Luckily, Jade had the chance to confront her about it in Sikowitz’s class on Monday. She’d gotten Sikowitz to agree to show the video on the TV in the classroom for them all to watch together, since none of them actually expected Tori to attend class, and while she waited for Sikowitz prepare to screen it, she scrolled through the comments section of the video, using one of her various alternate accounts to troll people. Actually, that had taken up most of her evening after she’d added probably a hundred views to the video on her own.

And just as she had declared the video, “disashockinglarious,” and everyone started talking about how much Tori had changed, in came Tori, dressed like some kind of Muppety sex doll.

Sikowitz tried to recover as Jade quickly closed her laptop, though the video was prominently on the screen for a good long moment. “And so in 1827,” Sikowitz started, “the television was invented by TV Smith and that’s why this television is here right now. There’s no other reason, we certainly weren’t watching--”

“Okay, I know you guys were watching that video of me at the restaurant!” Tori accused.

“We were learning about TV Smith, conceited,” Jade snarked back amidst a chorus of feeble protests from the other students, watching as Tori almost fell in her ridiculous heels as she took her seat.

“Can we please just forget about it?” Tori implored.

“Good luck,” Rex said.

“It’s the number one video on SplashFace,” Beck put in.

“Yep, so the whole world knows what you’re turning into,” Jade turned to look at Tori, waiting for her to refute it.

“I’m not turning--it’s just…” Tori sputtered.

“Just what?” Rex asked.

“Complicated,” Tori sighed, sounding defeated.

“So you deny that you’ve totally changed how you dress?” Jade challenged, grinning. Tori was floundering, this was delicious.

“No, but--” Tori tried.

“Do you deny throwing a tantrum in that restaurant?” Jade pushed.

“No, I did, but--” Tori tried again.

“But, but, but, but,” Jade mocked.

Tori glowered at her, but had no response.

“Looks like someone’s got a bad case of the buts,” Sikowitz commented. Tori slumped in her chair dejectedly.

“Maybe she should see a _but_ doctor,” Rex put in.

“I got a guy,” Robbie sighed.

Andre cut in to try to stop Cat from eating all the Bibble gum in the pack he’d given her in one go, which reminded Jade about something she’d heard.

“Andre, you were at the restaurant with Tori,” she turned to him, “What’s your take on what happened?” If she couldn’t get Tori to admit this was all a stunt, maybe they could just examine the evidence.

“Well, when the server brought her salad, Tori didn’t like it,” Andre started. “And you know, words were said, tables were flipped, and a great man who walked on the moon got ravioli in his pants,” Andre finished.

“But that’s not fair!” Tori cried.

“How is the truth not fair?” Jade asked with stern provocation.

The bell rang, and everyone walked past a sputtering Tori as she tried in vain to defend the indefensible. Jade could tell her facade was crumbling, and given that there was no possible reasonable explanation, only truncated pathetic attempts at them, Jade was positive now: this was absolutely an act, a publicity stunt. The only frustration now was why didn’t Tori just come clean?

She went to her locker, and as she shuffled her books and notebooks around, she noticed Beck approaching. She closed her locker, “What?” she asked him.

He looked around for a moment, then said, “Can we talk?”

“About what?”

“Tori,” he said quietly. He reached for her wrist, but she jerked her hand away.

“Don’t,” she told him firmly. He raised his hands in surrender, then nodded toward the janitor’s closet.

Jade rolled her eyes, but followed him. Once they were inside, she regarded him with her arms folded, “Okay, what about Tori?”

Beck leaned in conspiratorially. “I think she’s faking all of this,” he confided.

“Wow,” Jade mocked, “Did you come up with that all by yourself? No chiz, genius, of course she’s faking it.”

Beck frowned, “Okay, well if you’re so sure about it, why haven’t you tried to help her?”

“Help her with _what_?”

“You know, help her get out of this! You guys have been like hanging out lately, I thought you might--”

“She didn’t ask me for help, Beck,” Jade glared. “Tori’s a big girl. She can handle herself.”

Beck looked disappointed, “I’m going to go talk to her, tonight.”

“Good luck,” Jade said bitterly, turning and leaving the janitor’s closet.

-

That Thursday night was mercifully uneventful for Tori. She’d been looped into photo ops and interviews every day after school, with little snippets of rehearsal wedged in almost as an afterthought. But, for the rest of Thursday evening, she was at home, in her glasses, a hoodie, and her favorite pair of moustache socks.

She knew it was a bad idea to read public comments on anything she’d posted online, but she couldn’t stop scrolling the thousands that were under the SplashFace video. Some people thought she was a spoiled brat, some thought it was a stunt, some had filthy things to say about what they wanted to do with her. There was one user, **xSCIssORquEEnx** who commented with a few different variations on “DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT, WAZZ-BRAIN” under several of the more aggressive sexual comments. Was it Jade? Tori guessed there were other fans of _The Scissoring_ or just scissors in general out there in the world. It felt nice that maybe Jade was watching out for her. Or was that just wishful thinking? They hadn’t even texted each other in nearly a week. Why would Jade defend her on SplashFace when she obviously couldn’t even stand to speak to her?

In the kitchen, Trina was up to another one of her condiment facials. Tori wondered why they even had enough mayonnaise to fill a punchbowl. Also, why didn’t Trina just put it on her face like a cream? Why did she need to swim in it? Oh, god, Tori missed hanging out with her friends.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang and gave Tori something else to focus on. It was Beck, which made Trina act like a huge weirdo, so Tori was glad when she finally ran upstairs to clean up.

Beck was quick to notice Tori wasn’t the most upbeat, especially for someone about to perform for a worldwide audience. She so desperately wanted to come clean that she began to explain, but caught herself. Still, even without her spelling it out, Beck seemed to get that it was all an act.

Relief flooded Tori. She had desperately wanted to hear this for days, and she felt like someone was seeing her, the real her, for the first time in what felt like forever. She made sure to confirm with Beck that she hadn’t told him, that he figured it out, so that she kept her promise and her end of the deal with Mason, but her gratefulness overwhelmed her.

And when she asked him how he knew, he just smiled and said, “Because you’re Tori.” He said more after that, but that was all she heard. Confirmation that she was still herself, because she wasn’t even sure who that was anymore.

She had been playing Tori Vega, grunchy pop diva, for only a few days, but it was so all-consuming, it was exhausting. And lonely. Even Andre hadn’t texted her since the incident at the restaurant, and no one looked at her the same anymore. It had been starting to get to her, starting to make her wonder who she really was. She was being promised everything she wanted, and playing the part seemed like it would be easy at first. But the part had become her, to the point that it was getting harder to keep the lines from blurring, especially when she could watch herself pouring ravioli into the pants of an American hero on repeat. Who was she, that she could actually do that, even if it was supposed to be an act?

And the one who had seen through it all was Beck. The one who truly saw her, who brought her back to herself was Beck, who was now encouraging her to tell Mason that she would no longer participate in the act. Chiz, he made it sound so simple.

“People need to see who you really are,” he told her, “Because you’re awesome.”

Tori registered that he was leaning in to kiss her, and for a wild moment, she began to slowly close the gap. It wasn’t even necessarily that she wanted to kiss Beck, she just wanted to feel something, anything, other than despair. And Beck, who saw her for who she was, could bring that out of her. Maybe she owed him this much. Maybe she owed _herself_ this--shouldn’t she want to be with someone who knew her heart?

But before their lips touched, Tori’s mom flung open the front door. “Who wants pie?” she called.

Tori somehow flung herself on to the opposing sofa while Beck announced he had to leave. “Okay, later!” cried Tori, quickly flipping shut her laptop and sprinting for the stairs while her mother watched Beck walk out the door.

For once she was grateful for the interruption because...that would have been a disaster. Beck was Jade’s ex-boyfriend. Jade was Tori’s current...something. Was she, though? Still current?

Tomorrow she would go to school as herself. She’d go back to being plain old Tori Vega in her sneakers and t-shirt and hope that Jade West would still recognize her as someone she wanted to be around.

-

Friday had arrived, which meant they were only one day away from Saturday, which meant the Platinum Music Awards and finally the end of the interactive reality show that was Pop Star Tori Vega. But then what? Would Tori go on tour and never speak to any of them ever again? Would she dramatically return the next semester with a documentary crew to reconnect with her roots? When Tori had first been selected Jade was _excited_ for her. All of these classes they attended and the shows they put up, they were to catch the attention of someone who wanted to pay you to make your art professionally. But maybe that was the problem, it didn’t seem very artistic. It seemed like a scam to trick people into clicking links and tuning in and buying records.

None of that seemed very much like the Tori that Jade knew. The one who wore a fake moustache for fun, the one naive enough to bring a cannabis cookie to school, the one who dove from a moving car in the desert. The one Jade liked, kind of, a lot. She was worried that Tori might never come back.

Of course, when Jade came across Tori in the halls, she was already flanked by the production team, talking to Mason Thornesmith. Or...arguing with Mason Thornesmith?

Tori was in a casual striped shirt and jeans, her big obnoxious bag slung over her shoulder, but Mason was saying something about a meat hat. Beck, ever the white knight, had gotten himself involved in whatever was happening. Wow, hey, he was actually emoting.

But Tori was the one who ultimately stood up for herself. “Look, I don’t want to be your puppet anymore. I don’t want to wear stupid clothes and stupid makeup. And I don’t want to be mean or flip tables or dump ravioli down former astronauts’ pants.”

Jade felt immediately vindicated. It had been an act and she’d seen right through it. Though the ravioli thing _was_ funny.

“You forgot one,” Mason said. “You’re also not going to sing at the Platinum Music Awards. You’re out.”

Tori looked truly shocked.

“Sir, you’re not going to be able to replace Tori that fast,” said Beck. He could be right about this. Maybe Tori would still get to sing.

Mason disregarded him and turned to survey the group huddled in the hall. “You,” he said, pointing directly at Jade.

“Me?” This was too good. Maybe she could tell this chiz-head record executive off for being a total wazz-bag.

Mason nodded. “You gave a rather fantastic audition, as I recall.”

Aw, crap, this would be much harder if he was going to compliment her. “Thanks.”

“How would you like to sing the opening number tomorrow night at the Platinum Music Awards?” he asked.

 _Fuck_. Okay. This was easy. Integrity over...whatever Mason Thornesmith was peddling. Jade was an artist. She didn’t just bend to the will of anyone. Especially this human sack of Bibble.

“No way,” came Beck’s voice. Once again, making the decision for her.

That made up her mind. “Absolutely,” Jade told Mason, taking his arm as he moved down the hall. She looked back at Beck and Tori with their mouths hanging open and feeling pretty damn good about proving a long-argued point while immediately regretting every second of it.

Jade was pulled out of school immediately, and taken over to the Boomerang Theater. Everything was chaos. They allowed her some time to try to learn whatever song they’d chosen for Tori as various interns started taking her measurements, and then she was thrown onstage and given a few run-throughs of the song, but it seemed less about perfecting any kind of performance and more as if they were just trying to make sure she wasn’t completely incompetant and talentless. Most of the rest of the night was wardrobe. So much wardrobe. They were scrambling to bring things in her size, making her try on ludicrous skirts and flashy tops and any number of things she would never wear at any other time.

Meanwhile, she was using a recording on her PearPhone of the song she was supposed to sing to try to make sure she was able to learn it in time, and all the while, articles were popping up on her newsfeed, everything she’d untagged herself in on The Slap was coming back as entertainment outlets began to introduce the world to Jade West. There were interviews with her she’d never given, quotes from Mason Thornesmith about why she was replacing Tori Vega that made no sense, and even a few blurry paparazzi photos that she was pretty sure were actually of Tori and poorly modified to resemble her.

She was already exhausted, and frustrated, with her anxiety clawing in her chest like a caged animal, and she had only been at this half a day.

Cat showed up in the evening, her Bibble sobriety sponsor, Oliver, still handcuffed to her. Jade had been wondering all day how Cat managed to use the bathroom or shower, but Oliver intimidated her just enough that she didn’t ask. Cat offered to help Jade with wardrobe, which she appreciated. They were still settling on her final look, and she would have a chance to rehearse the song a little later, but right now, she finally had a moment to herself, and she sat at the vanity, wanting to touch up her makeup while it was still a choice she got to make for herself.

And that was when she heard Beck’s voice. She located the sound quickly. Cat’s PearBook was open on a video chat window, and Jade had a front-row seat to Tori and Beck, sitting far too close together on Tori’s couch in her living room.

She zoomed in on the screen as Tori talked about wanting to be recognized for her talent instead of wearing meat hats. Jade was actually glad that she hadn’t had to wear the meat hat, either, though she was kind of dying to see what it looked like. And then Beck had made some dumb joke about how you could have meat whenever you wanted it if you wore a meat hat. She rolled her eyes. The longer they were broken up, the less she understood how they’d stayed together in the first place.

She refocused on them. Beck’s arm had casually draped itself over Tori’s arm on the back of the couch. Her stomach sank. She could identify his stupid meat hat joke now. He was trying to flirt.

Beck looked at Tori, “So…” he said, then started leaning in. Jade had no time to react, or do anything other than stare in horror.

“Yeah,” Tori said, “Uh.” She was pulling away. “Oh, you,” Her voice was full of discomfort and awkwardness as she tried to move past the rejected kiss by playfully tapping Beck’s chin with her fist.

Jade still had no idea what to feel, could only watch the situation play out before her. The two idiots tripped over themselves apologizing to each other, until Beck asked directly, “Then why can’t we kiss?”

Tori sounded wistful as she said, “Because of Jade.”

Beck still thought this might be about him. “Jade and I broke up,” he said reasonably.

“Yeah, but,” Tori seemed like she was trying to explain it in a way he might understand, “Kissing your friend’s ex-boyfriend?”

“Wait, wait, since when are you and Jade friends?” Beck challenged, “Last week, she took your hamburger, she just rubbed it against her bare foot!”

Well. That was true. But Tori had been in the middle of her pop star who no longer had any time for her thing, and in Jade’s mind, that almost justified it.

“What? I ate feet meat?” Tori asked mournfully.

“And she took your spot in the Platinum Music Awards,” Beck said, making maybe the one fair point he had all night, in Jade’s opinion.

“Look, I mean, I guess Jade and I aren’t friend friends. But we’re kind of friends, I think,” Tori explained, “And kissing her ex-boyfriend? I can’t do that to a friend,” Tori finished, sounding so mournful that Jade could no longer watch. She shut Cat’s laptop, turning in time to see Cat and Oliver returning with the blue skirt she had requested they find.

Already, Jade was struggling with this. It was an amazing opportunity, but it was also exactly like Tori said--she felt like a puppet, she felt like a weird cardboard cutout, mannequin-esque stand-in for Tori Vega. This wasn’t about her.

But it wasn’t as though she could back out now.

-

Saturday morning, Tori woke up around seven. Way too early for a day where she didn’t have to be anywhere. Maybe her body still thought she was performing that night. Like when she was little and she would wake up with the sun on the days her family planned to go to Disneyland. Trina would always take forever, her mom would decide to change her shoes at the last minute, while Tori and her dad shook their heads and made a list of all their favorite attractions they planned to hit that day. You had to know your plan in the Vega house, otherwise the chaos would get to you.

But this particular morning, Tori had no plan. She also had no plans. Nothing to do, no one to see. Everyone would be getting ready to go to the Platinum Music Awards and there was probably a party afterward. Who knows what would happen to Jade? Would she keep going to school? Would she start touring, maybe opening for Katy Perry?

She poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat at the empty kitchen table. The rest of the house was quiet, so at least she could sit with her mournful thoughts in peace. That lasted for about five minutes until her mom came downstairs and began dumping her smoothie ingredients into the blender.

“Tori?” asked Holly, “Why is there a dog in the freezer?” She held a stuffed robotic plush toy in her hand and she looked to her daughter.

“It was too creepy,” answered Tori, glumly, recalling when Andre had brought it over the night before and the horrible way it laughed.

Holly shrugged and put the dog right back where she found it. “Everything okay?” she asked, going back to her smoothie blending.

Tori shrugged, knowing she wouldn’t be heard over the sound of the blender. When it stopped, she just said, “I guess.”

“Bummed about not singing tonight?” asked her mom.

“Yeah, obviously. It’s a big deal…”

“But…” Holly set a glass of smoothie down next to Tori, then sat down at the end of the table with her own blended breakfast.

“Thanks,” Tori accepted the drink. She realized her mom must have been picking up on her mood to actually make her something. “But it’s not just the performance,” Tori admitted.

Holly sipped her drink, then asked. “Does it maybe have anything to do with Beck being here the last couple nights?”

“Sort of.” Tori resumed eating her cereal.

“Does it also maybe have something to do with Jade _not_ being around here in over a week?”

Tori shrugged. “Yeah. Kind of.” Just how much did her mom know? “What do you do when...you like someone...and you know they like to hang out with you but you’re not sure if they like you quite the same way you like them?”

“Honey, that’s part of growing up,” Holly succinctly replied. Tori assumed that was the end of the advice, but her mom continued, “You should be with someone who’s willing to make their feelings about you clear. For some people it’s as simple as telling a person, other people do it with gestures or gifts. But everyone has a way they use to express their feelings for someone they care about.”

Tori slowly rotated the smoothie glass around in her hand. Yeah, she could see what her mom was talking about. She stood and gave her mother a side-hug. “Thanks, mom.”

“Anytime.” Holly reciprocated the hug, then handed Tori her own empty glass. “Put this in the dishwasher for me, please?”

After the unexpected (albeit brief) heart-to-heart with her mom, Tori went back to her room and scrolled through her phone. There were a bunch of updates about Jade on The Slap, none of which Tori believed, because she knew exactly what the inside of the Neutronium Records Hype Machine looked like. No wonder Jade had been so hard on her. All of this was so obviously fake and Tori must have looked like a complete fool trying to pass any of it off as her own.

Jade had pressed and needled and antagonized in a way that was familiar for them. The difference was, in the case of Pop Star Tori Vega, Jade had been absolutely right to challenge her and call her out. And all Tori had done was lie to her.

Up until all of this happened, they’d been right on the precipice of something, learning new bits and pieces about each other. Okay, and learning _a whole lot_ about where, when, and how much they wanted to make out. Yet they still hadn’t really defined what they were doing. They weren’t dating. They were shaping something that looked and felt a lot like friendship, but calling Jade her “friend” still didn’t feel quite right.

Tori realized what she needed to do. She had to go to the show that night and at least let Jade know she was there to support her. If Jade would even speak to her. Still, she had to make the effort. Yes, this was the right decision. She felt a surge of energy, a boost out of the doldrums she’d been immersed in all morning.

A glance at the clock reminded her that it was still an entire twelve hours before the show. Tori groaned and flung herself back onto her bed.

-

Jade had been poked and prodded, pushed and pulled, coached and coerced, literally and figuratively all day until both her skin and her mood felt raw. By the time she was actually being prepped for the show itself, she was no longer even a little bit interested in this whole endeavour. They had decided on her look for her show, and Jade despised it. Her skirt looked like it had been freshly harvested from flamingos at a rave, and the top was a deeply uncomfortable sparkly vinyl corset that the wardrobe team was struggling to keep in place. Jade didn’t even want to think about the bubblegum pink wig. Why did everything have to be pink?

She hated it so much. Well, the one thing she liked was the claws they’d put on her, but they were also really cumbersome. Still, she was about to go onstage and sing a song that wasn’t meant for her, in an outfit that would be better suited for announcing the Hunger Games than anything else. And what did this outfit even have to do with the song?

And the song itself...well, the song was fine, kind of a summer anthem, but it was way too optimistic for Jade’s taste. And combining a song about wearing old rock shirts and dirty sneakers with this dystopian David Bowie-knockoff music video outfit (except not even _that_ cool) just felt like one of the stupidest things Jade had ever seen. If she were laughed off the stage--not that she thought she would be--she’d deserve it.

She walked to the vanity to take in her look, trying to practice at least looking content. As she was bitterly scrutinizing herself, she heard a voice behind her.

“Wow,” Tori said in awe, “Incredible outfit.”

She could see her in the mirror, standing behind Jade, keeping her distance and looking cautious. “I look like an idiot,” Jade replied flatly, straightening and turning around. Tori decidedly did not look like an idiot for once. There was not a scrap of pink in her outfit, and she was wearing a sleek, shiny and sparkly black and silver ensemble that was actually pretty cool. Jade didn’t know where Tori had found it, but she could tell Tori had made an effort to look good.

“A pretty pink idiot,” Tori sounded like she was trying very hard to find something positive to say. “With a thing on her head.”

“Thanks,” Jade’s gratitude was as insincere as Tori’s compliment, but there was mutual amusement passing between the two of them. It was sort of a relief. Tori could also see how ridiculous this was. “Didn’t expect to see you here,” Jade finally said neutrally.

“Well,” Tori started, slowly beginning to close the distance between them, “Everyone else was coming to cheer you on, so...I figured I would too.” She still sounded cautious, but Jade knew she was trying hard to be supportive, especially as she joked feebly, “And you look _way_ better in that than I would’ve,” gesturing at the Effie Trinket getup as she moved closer.

“This isn’t right,” Jade stared down at said outfit.

“Yeah, it is a little tight around your--” Tori started.

“No!” Jade interrupted, walking away from Tori as she spoke. It was hard to be close to her when things were so messed up. “Not the stupid outfit. This. Me.” She gestured with her long claws.

“I don’t…” Tori’s voice failed her as she watched Jade, her expression gentle and concerned.

“This was supposed to be your night,” Jade stated the obvious. “This was your big chance, so for me to go out there and…” and do what? Sing a song she didn’t want to sing? Make an absolute fool of herself?

“And…” Tori prompted uncertainly.

“And I can’t do that to a friend.” Jade watched Tori’s face soften into one of those stupid bright puppy dog smiles. “Or even to you,” she teased, just to watch Tori’s face fall. But it didn’t last, because Jade smiled at her, and Tori smiled back softly, and it felt like everything fell into place between them. Neither of them were playing the role of Mason Thornesmith’s big diva pop star.

They were Tori and Jade, and that alone meant something.

Jade became aware of the bustle and shouts of the crew getting ready. Less than ten minutes before the show was about to kick off. They had to hurry. She grabbed Tori by the arm and dragged her back to where Celeste, who was in charge of wardrobe, was still evidently looking for safety pins for Jade’s outfit.

“Hey, Celeste,” Jade said brightly. She’d developed a rapport with some of the crew over the past day and a half, and she cashed in on that now. “You remember Tori.”

“Tori?” Celeste said distractedly, then turned and blinked in surprise, “Tori! Yes, of course--”

“Mason needs her camera ready in five.”

“Five minutes?” Celeste had gone pale, “But your bodice--”

“It’s fine, one of the other girls fixed it for me,” Jade lied, “There’s not much time, hurry,” she prompted, and she could already see Celeste start to panic as she grabbed Tori’s upper arm and wheeled her across the room. There was a fleeting moment in which Tori held her eyes before she was forced to turn while someone assessed her makeup, and Jade could see a jumble of emotions there, gratitude and longing and regret and excitement and chiz knew what else. There was so much Jade wanted to say, but there was no time, so all she could do was smile reassuringly at Tori as Celeste started holding up various tops against her body and another girl started taking a makeup brush to her face.

Jade wandered backstage for a few minutes, trying to look like she was getting ready for her performance. When she started hearing calls for one minute left, she approached the announcer about the “script change” that of course was not a thing, but Jade made it a thing in that very moment as she scratched out her own name and replaced it with Tori’s.

When she got back to the wardrobe room, Tori was gone, and Jade knew they’d accomplished it. She tore off her offensive wig, wiped off the black lipstick that _so_ did not go with this look, and stripped out of the vinyl sleeve and corset that was the absolute worst part of her outfit, leaving her chest barely covered by the upper part of her flamingo dress. Her eye caught Tori’s jacket, slung over a chair, and she slipped in on, mostly because it was actually cool and she needed to cover up, but also because it was Tori’s. It was a simple impulse, to take something of Tori’s with her as she hurried into the audience so she wouldn’t miss the performance, and Jade didn’t second guess it for a moment.

She could hear the announcement beginning as she pushed out the stage door that led to the auditorium and rounded into stage view just as Tori was revealed. Yeah, this felt right. She knew her friends were in the second row and used Cat’s bright red hair to pinpoint their exact seats. Of course the open seat was next to Beck. As she sat down, he smiled at her, realizing what she’d done. Well, he probably figured it had something to do with being nice. Later they’d have to have a real talk about what was going on with Tori. It was still undefined, but it was definitely back on.

The song that Jade had deemed too corny and optimistic for herself was perfect for Tori, which made sense because it had been hers in the first place. She’d seen Tori sing like probably a thousand times at school and this was the same but also so wildly different. Tori was her same old self, performing exactly the way she might in front of a mirror in her bedroom, without a care in the world, like no one was watching (because Tori was cheesy enough to embody something you might embroider on a pillow). Except the whole world was watching and, if they were anything like this audience, they were loving it.

Something welled up inside of Jade, something that tugged her mouth up into a smile. Like an honest smile that wasn’t a smirk. She was proud of Tori.

She sat in the audience with their friends, watching Tori perform the song she was meant to sing, and Jade knew that she had made the right decision. Not that she had second guessed it once.

When Tori hit her final note, to the thunderous applause of the crowd, the surreality of her situation seemed to hit her, and she looked around at the crowd dazedly, laughing in disbelief at her standing ovation. Cat pushed toward the stage, leading the group up to congratulate Tori and give her hugs.

But there was an awards show to follow, and security tried to usher them away from the stage. “Come on!” Tori jumped off to lead the group of them backstage. Security didn’t seem pleased, but Jade noticed they didn’t try to prevent it. Maybe things were a little chaotic on the production end with the change Jade had orchestrated. Whatever the case, the group watched the rest of the show from the wings and mingled with some of their musical heroes backstage.

-

Tori was high. Not, like, weed-cookie-in-the-library high. But high on the adrenaline of performing in front of the whole world and on the way Jade kept catching her eye and smiling at her backstage.

People wanted interviews and Tori didn’t want to have things twisted at all like they were before, so she found herself pulling Jade over every single time the cameras moved their way so they could at least tell things their own way. During the third backstage interview with yet another press outlet, Mason Thornesmith elbowed his way in and began bragging about how he’d masterminded the surprise of Tori’s performance. Tori and Jade exchanged glances.

“Yep,” Tori said, “Everything we did, he made it happen.”

“That’s right,” agreed Jade. “It was all his big idea. Right down to what we had to wear, say, do…”

“And what one of us might have done to a certain astronaut,” Tori confirmed. The press swarmed Mason, wanting to know more details, giving Tori and Jade a chance to slip away and find their friends.

The night whizzed by in a blur, moving from the show to the afterparty setup in a large tent outside. Even more celebrities populated the space, making everything even more surreal.

“Cat, you have to stop asking people if they have Bibble,” Oliver gently urged.

“But Seth Rogen promised me!” Cat cried. Tori watched as Oliver guided Cat away, hopefully somewhere she wouldn’t be tempted to indulge.

The rest of the gang was crowded around a tall table, eyeing the room for their favorite icons. A waiter came over and placed an open bottle of champagne in a bucket and a tray of empty glasses right in front of them.

“Oh, we’re not old en--” Robbie began. But Rex interrupted.

“Be cool, Rob.”

The waiter either didn’t hear or didn’t care, because he had already walked away.

Everyone eyed the bottle until Andre spoke up. “You know what? I am at the Platinum Music Awards after party,” he said, reaching for the champagne glasses, filling each one and passing them out, one by one. “And my friend Tori just performed in front of the entire planet. So, I wanna say, here’s to you, Tori Vega.”

“To Tori!” chimed the group, clinking their glasses together.

Tori smiled widely, both elated and emotional. “You _guys_!”

As she sipped her champagne, she felt Jade’s hand slip into hers under the table. Tori didn’t know how much more excitement she could take in a single night. But she wasn’t about to stop finding out.

-

The afterparty was like something out of another world, but the most exciting part to Jade wasn’t even really the celebrities or the glamour or the celebratory air, it was spending the evening next to Tori, who kept her close even when media seemed to want just her. But even afterparties had to end. Their friends left as it started to get late, and eventually someone from the record label found them and told them their limo was ready to take them home. Jade wasn’t sure if the party was actually winding down, or maybe it was just time to get all the kids out of there, but she was ready. It had been a long day, an even longer couple of days, and all she really wanted was some time alone with Tori.

They got into the limo together, and the driver confirmed that she was heading to Tori’s house first. Tori asked if she could take the longer route through the hills. Jade wondered if maybe Tori wasn’t quite ready for the night to end. She certainly wasn’t either.

They were alone together for the first time in weeks, but although Jade absolutely wanted to kiss her, it almost felt like they needed to get reacquainted with each other first. She knew that their talk backstage, and giving Tori back her song, not to mention holding hands off and on all evening, had brought them back together (in whatever sense they ever were together), but things still weren’t the same. They were both changed from this experience, and they needed to acknowledge some of that first.

Tori smiled, eyeing Jade’s outfit. She’d changed back into her regular clothes after getting backstage, eager as hell to get out of that terrible flamingo dress, but she’d kept Tori’s jacket on all night. And apparently, this had pleased Tori. “My jacket looks cute on you,” she told her.

“Thanks,” Jade replied, deciding to let the ‘cute’ slide. “It’s actually pretty cool, for you.”

Tori gasped in offense, but it was quickly followed by a laugh. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Yeah, I like that it has all sorts of little pockets, too,” Jade started unzipping a few of them, “Speaking of, why do you have an acorn and a Jet Brew receipt with a scribble on it in these pockets?”

“It’s not a scribble!” Tori sounded offended, “It’s a signature! From the time I ran into Weird Al Yankovic at the Jet Brew on Cahuenga!”

“Wow, that...really something,” Jade said insincerely. Tori pouted slightly, and Jade drew her back to the other random thing she’d found. “And this?” she held out the acorn.

“Oh! That’s my lucky acorn,” Tori said happily, as if this were a normal thing to disclose.

“A lucky acorn,” Jade said incredulously, putting it back in the jacket pocket. “Wow.”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Tori asked.

It was hard to argue with that. And Jade had to consider the fact that this girl who carried around Weird Al’s signature and a lucky acorn in her jacket pockets was actually someone she really liked. Like, a lot. So much so that this complete and utter nonsense was actually kind of really fucking adorable. Jade vowed to never repeat that to anyone.

But then she watched as Tori’s smile slowly faded, and she straightened, looking at Jade with a sincerity that almost hurt. “Hey,” Tori said softly, “I also just have to say, I’m really, really sorry.”

-

Tori had started her apology, and Jade was looking at her with that same sort of unguarded, awed expression she wore at Nozu, when Tori told her she was pretty. She didn’t seem to know what to say in response, so Tori took a deep breath. “I’m just really sorry that I shut you out during those weeks. I know there’s no excuse, but it was just...everything was a lot, and Mason told me I couldn’t tell _anyone_ about what was happening.” She shook her head. It seemed so stupid when she thought back on it, especially seeing the way Mason had still managed to spin and take credit for even the way Jade had undermined him. Her shoulders slumped. “I just should’ve known it was a bad idea when they made me feel like I couldn’t even tell you what was going on.”

“Hey,” Jade finally spoke, “I get it. I only did it for a few days, but they’re ruthless. But I knew that they were putting you up to that stuff from the start.”

“You _knew_?” Tori was so relieved. Beck wasn’t the only one who had seen through the act, Jade had, too, only Tori had been being such a grunch to her that she hadn’t even wanted to confront her about it like Beck had. It seemed so clear to her, now, that all the times Jade had pushed her about her new look and her behavior had been Jade just trying to get her to confess. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that.”

“Of course I knew,” Jade scoffed, “I just…” she trailed off.

Tori couldn’t tell if there was more Jade wanted to say, so she started telling her about what it was like. “That first day, after they made you guys leave, and left me alone with him, he made me drink tuna fish juice to like...I don’t know, prove that I wanted to please him?”

“That was a test,” Jade said instantly, “To see if they could get you to comply with what they wanted from you.”

Tori felt stupid. “Oh, my god, I never even thought of that.”

Jade looked disgusted, “Ugh, Mason should count himself lucky he picked you first. I would’ve fed him his own wazz if he made me drink tuna fish juice.”

“Yeah. Because I’m naive enough to fall for it,” Tori sighed dejectedly.

“Hey,” Jade’s voice was soft, “Not everyone gets to grow up cynical, bitter and twisted.” Tori looked at her, feeling tenderness in her heart at her words, until Jade said, “The world needs naive people, because otherwise, how would the rest of us entertain ourselves?”

Tori laughed, though it was weak, because she was still feeling emotional about everything. She let out a big sigh, releasing all her tension. “I really thought,” she started hesitantly, “That...all of this...was going to mean that we wouldn’t ever get to hang out again.”

-

Jade heard the apprehension in Tori’s voice at this confession, and she knew that now was her moment to be honest, as difficult as it was going to be. Because, damn it, Tori deserved that much. “Me, too,” she told Tori, “Especially at the start. Even though I could tell they’d put you up to it, it still sucked to feel like you were shutting me out. I thought you might go from the Platinum Music Awards onto your first world tour without ever looking back.”

Tori had taken her hand at some point during her little admission of hurt, and now squeezed it hard. “I’m so sorry,” she said, “I was just afraid that if I kept getting closer to you, that I would end up telling you what was happening, and break my promise to Mason, and lose everything.” She sighed, “And I almost did, anyway.”

“I get it,” Jade told her again, because she did. “It sucks, but I get why you did it. I just...wish you’d told me anyway. But you know what I wish more?”

“What?” Tori looked at her, eyes a little misty.

“I wish you’d taken me to that restaurant instead of Andre. I would have _killed_ to be there when you dumped that ravioli down that astronaut’s pants.”

Tori let go of Jade’s hand and groaned, sounding agonized, “It wasn’t even _supposed_ to end up in his pants!” she wailed, arms flailing, “There was supposed to be a stunt cop, but I just...jumped the gun. It was _humiliating_.”

“It was _hilarious_ ,” Jade gushed.

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done,” Tori moaned.

“And the funniest,” Jade insisted.

Tori’s put her head in her hands, “Oh, my god.” But she lifted it a moment later, “I was such a gank,” she started, “I just remembered I never even gave you any feedback on your audition video.”

Jade shrugged, “Doesn’t really matter now.”

“I know, but...I did watch it. It was really, really good, Jade. Like...sultry, and powerful.”

Jade smiled, pleased at the praise, but then realized something, “I never even got to see yours.”

“Oh,” Tori straightened up and pulled out her PearPhone, “Do you...want to watch it now? I can pull it up.”

“Sure,” Jade _was_ curious. Tori poked around on her phone a little, and then they were leaning close, looking at the image of Tori singing on the tiny phone screen.

And it was...chiz, it was such a simple audition, but powerful. Just Tori and her piano, singing what Jade assumed was an original song, and it was like she could feel Tori’s sincerity and earnestness pouring out of the speakers with her voice. Jade was listening to the lyrics, too, and though she couldn’t know what had inspired Tori to write them, they made her feel...warm. She reached for Tori’s hand, and Tori interlaced their fingers as they watched together. The simple elegance of the catchy melody, the way Tori’s voice dipped and rose, it all made Jade feel like Tori was singing only to her. It made her feel unexpectedly close to Tori, in a way completely different from how close they got when they were kissing.

And speaking of that. Jade eyed Tori out of the corner of her eye.

-

Tori felt like she was floating in bliss as she held Jade’s hand, and watched her audition video end. She was proud of it, but she could also tell, from the keen way Jade watched it, to the way she’d reached for her hand, that Jade was, too. She glanced out the window of the limo as the song was winding down, taking in the twinkling lights of the city, spread out beneath them as they wound through the hills. They still had about fifteen more minutes or so to Tori’s house, and Tori still wasn’t ready for the night to end.

On the phone screen, the last note of Tori’s song faded out, and next to her, Jade said quietly, “Hey.”

“Hmm?” Tori asked, turning off her phone screen and turning to her.

“Want to make out?”

Tori’s stomach ached and flipped at the same time. “Yes.”

Tori felt a trembly sort of feeling, just under her ribs, as their lips met. It was almost like the feeling just before she started crying, but mirthful, like the sort of hysterical, ecstatic relief after narrowly avoiding tragedy, but quieter, subtler. But it made kissing Jade feel more intense than weed or hard lemonade could, and unlike some of the blurred details of those moments, Tori thought this one would be etched in her mind forever.

This kiss was different, too. Softer and gentler, but not tentative like their early kisses. They knew exactly how they fit together now, and they wanted to take the time they rarely had to savor the way it felt. Tori’s arm was around Jade’s shoulders, and Jade’s arms were around her waist, and they held each other closely, but lightly.

Jade broke away from the kiss gently, forehead pressing lightly against Tori’s. Tori thought she might be about to say something, or maybe just needed to catch her breath, but then her head dipped, and Tori felt Jade’s nose nuzzling her throat, followed by soft lips against her pulse point.

Tori let out a gasp, with just the hint of vocalization to it, the very beginning of a moan. She leaned back against the seat, letting Jade’s mouth press kisses along the length of her neck, struggling to remember to breathe. When Jade reached her jaw, Tori dipped her head and drew Jade closer, so they could resume the slow, sensual kisses that they’d been enjoying.

The limo ride had been smooth, but there was the occasional swaying motion as the long car maneuvered the Hollywood Hills. Some part of Tori’s brain somehow realized that, at some point, the car had stopped moving. She peered through the tinted glass and, yep, that was her house across the road. She wondered why the driver hadn’t announced anything. Or...did she even wait for the driver to say something? Rides in limousines weren’t really something she was accustomed to. She reached for the door handle, Jade’s fingers still intertwined with hers on her opposite hand, but as soon as she’d begun to open it, someone else was pulling at it. It was the driver, nodding to her as she climbed out.

“Miss Vega. Have a good night,” said the woman. She looked at Jade, who was right behind Tori. “Miss West, did you want me to take you home now or will I be waiting here for you?”

“Oh,” Jade said. “Umm…” This wasn’t something they’d really discussed. For some reason, Tori was thinking Jade would just be coming in with her.

“You can stay over,” Tori decided. Her parents were probably asleep, anyway. They didn’t ever really care if she had a friend stay over, especially on the weekends. “If you want.”

The corner of Jade’s mouth twisted upward. “Oh, I want.”

“Then I’ll be saying goodnight to you ladies,” said the driver. “And I’ll be watching to make sure you get to the door.”

They thanked her, then crossed the road and walked up the length of the driveway. At the front door, Tori was careful to open it quietly, but as the living room came into view, she could see her dad across the way, sitting at the kitchen table.

“Kind of thought he’d be asleep,” Tori admitted, quietly. She saw Jade glance back at the limo, but Tori leaned past her and waved to the driver, who was still waiting for confirmation they’d made it inside. “Don’t worry, you’re still staying the night.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Yep.” Tori shut the door behind them and casually strode over to her dad, who was reading something on his PearPad. Or, he was at least pretending to read something while waiting up for his daughter to come home from a big record industry party. She didn’t think he’d be mad about her being out this late. She’d quickly sent a text home when she knew she’d be onstage and they’d congratulated her afterward, but there hadn’t been any time to really communicate beyond that. “Hey, dad.”

“You know,” he began, sounding stern. “When you told us to be sure to watch for you, we thought you meant in the audience.” A wide smile spread across his face as he rose to hug Tori. “Your mom spilled half a bottle of wine on the rug, she was so excited.” Tori’s instinct was to glance back and look for a huge stain, but then he said, “Don’t worry, it was a chardonnay.”

Corny dad wine humor was a good sign. “Hey, dad, you remember my friend Jade?”

“I remember Jade. Hi, Jade.”

“Hey, Mr. Vega.”

“I told her she could stay the night.” Tori thought about listing off reasons why it was a good idea, such as the late hour or Jade’s mom not being home.

But her father just nodded. “It’s your night, Tori.”

Tori beamed and pulled Jade toward the stairs, but stopped to take in the sight of a huge bouquet of flowers that sat on top of the piano. “Whoa. What’s this?”

“They came for you,” said David.

Tori picked up the tiny card and opened it.

**Tori,**

**Next time make sure we have seats _inside_ the theater.**

**Love,**

**Mom and Dad**

“Aww, Dad!” Tori squealed, hurrying back over to hug him again. “Thank you so much!”

He laughed as he hugged her, then his expression turned mock-serious as they pulled apart. “We mean it, though.”

Tori flailed her arms, “Next time I should have more than ten minute’s notice that I’m going to be onstage!” she protested, “Seriously, I didn’t--”

“We know,” her dad interrupted, smiling. “We’re so proud of you, kiddo.”

As her dad headed back over to the kitchen table, Tori took the opportunity to slip her hand back into Jade’s and start up the stairs togethers, before he might think of something else to say that might be embarrassing. If Tori knew one thing, it was that you could never trust dads not to be embarrassing around people you maybe really liked.

She led Jade into her bedroom, and turned to gesture at it with a flourish, “So this is my--” at Jade’s knowing smirk, her hand dropped. “Oh. You’ve...already seen my room.”

“Mm-hmm,” Jade hummed, “though it’s definitely been awhile.” She was looking around with interest.

Tori let her look for a moment, leaning against her desk, and then finally said, “I know I could use a shower. You’re welcome to take one, too. Um, you want to borrow some pajamas?”

Jade hiked an eyebrow at her, “Well, I’m not exactly planning to sleep in this,” she gestured at her skirt and tights.

“Right,” Tori mumbled, moving over to her dresser. She generally slept in a tank top and shorts, so she pulled out the same for Jade, who accepted the bottoms but took one look at the tank top and shook her head.

“Tori.”

“What?”

Jade looked down at her own cleavage and Tori’s gaze followed, but she realized she maybe looked longer than intended when she finally glanced back up to see a smirk and a quirked eyebrow. “So you see what I’m getting at,” said Jade.

Tori nodded, not quite understanding why her brain wouldn’t just let her say something. Finally, she was able to mumble, “Yeah, I’ll find another…” She dug around and found a slightly oversized t-shirt from her old high school. “How’s this?”

“Boring, but it’ll do.” Jade took it. “I assume the shower’s in the same place it was before?” She moved straight for the bathroom that connected Tori and Trina’s bedrooms.

“It’s kind of really creepy that you have this information.” Tori followed a few steps, because there were still some specifics Jade _didn’t_ know. “Be sure to lock the door on Trina’s side because she _will_ come in, even if it’s closed and the light is on and the shower is obviously running.”

“She really is the worst,” Jade sniped.

-

Jade triple checked the lock on Trina’s door before undressing and getting in the shower. It felt really good to wash, like she was finally scrubbing off the last of her faux-popstar persona. The vinyl bodice and sleeve hadn’t been very breathable and if she sweat--which she _didn’t_ \--it might have been enough to really make her skin gross. But even without sweat, a shower was always refreshing.

And it was a little surreal to be in Tori’s bathroom, in her shower. She smelled the two shampoos on the ledge and quickly identified Tori’s; there was no way in hell she was using Trina’s, she thought she was just as likely to get mayonnaise as real shampoo. She breathed in the fragrance of Tori’s shampoo and conditioner as she washed her hair, images of their kisses playing through her head as scent evoked memory.

When Jade was clean, reasonably dry except for her hair, and dressed in the borrowed t-shirt and shorts, she brushed her teeth with one of the spare toothbrushes under the sink that Tori had indicated, one that she actually had to unwrap from plastic and that bore some dentist’s name and address on the handle. She scrutinized herself in the mirror. The soap in Tori’s shower seemed to have gotten rid of her makeup, save for maybe a hint of dark around her eyes, and she wasn’t about to go digging around in the Vega sisters’ face scrubs and creams for fear of getting something of Trina’s. Shower soap would have to suffice.

While Tori took her turn in the shower, Jade poked around her bedroom. It was true, she was pretty familiar with Tori’s bedroom, having spent about a half an hour snooping through it over a year or so ago. It had seemed to fluster Tori at the time, which had delighted Jade. But Jade hadn’t really found anything extremely weird in Tori’s room during that exploratory session. She took the opportunity now to poke around in her desk drawers, bedside table, and closet.

Her only hesitation was Tori’s dresser. For the most part, poking around in Tori’s room didn’t seem like a big deal because she’d seen most of it before--though the wig in Tori’s closet that closely resembled her own hair was new and interesting--but Jade thought it would be wrong to go digging through Tori’s underwear drawer. Nor did she want to be caught doing so by Tori. This hesitation certainly hadn’t existed before, when she’d definitely taken a moment to peruse the colorful undergarments before exploring another drawer.

When the shower shut off, Jade decided to sit on the bed and wait for Tori without making it obvious that she’d been looking around her room. But then as soon as Tori emerged in her own pajamas with a pair of glasses on her face, Jade immediately blurted out, “I looked around your room.” Honesty was probably worth something, at this point.

Tori shrugged, still rubbing at her hair with her towel. “I thought that might happen.” She tossed her PearPhone on the bed, then returned to the bathroom to apparently hang up her towel, because it wasn’t in her hands when she came back and shut the door. “Oh, yeah, and you have to always remember to unlock Trina’s door whenever you’re done in there because she will absolutely come right through here if you forget…what?”

Jade had been staring at Tori, trying to make out her feelings about the glasses. It was a stereotype for the rebel to find the nerd attractive but this was really proving true and that, frankly, made Jade uncomfortable. “Just haven’t really seen the specs on you that often.”

“Well,” Tori shrugged, “they help me see.” She dropped herself onto the bed next to Jade.

It was a full bed, so there was enough room for both of them, though Jade knew any sense of space between them would disappear once they actually lay down together. She wondered if Tori had considered that detail when she’d asked her to stay the night. Jade hoped so, because that was kind of the whole point, right?

Which, speaking of points to get to, Jade had something on her mind. “You wanna go to Nozu tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“But, like, on a date.”

Tori had been in the process of plugging in her phone to the charger on the nightstand but she fumbled the device and it clattered on the tabletop. “Um, did you say _a date_?”

Jade nodded. “Yeah. Like, I pick you up. You pay for dinner. We make out a little in the car. Maybe go see a movie after. If there’s anything good playing.” It was so cookie-cutter and traditional and everything Jade pretended to hate, but the truth was that she already liked sushi and kissing and movies, so asking Tori out, officially, felt right.

Tori turned toward her with that smile, the big, bright one that Jade swore she could actually feel every time it was directed at her. “I’d like that,” Tori nodded, “I’d really like that.”

“Good,” Jade said. They were looking at each other now, Tori looking just unfamiliar enough in her glasses that Jade was really studying her for a moment. So she definitely didn’t miss the way Tori’s eyes dropped to her lips, and Jade took the cue and leaned forward to meet her in a kiss.

Jade knew she was exhausted, and Tori probably was, too, but kissing seemed to revive them. Jade leaned into her, the hand that wasn’t on the bed rested on Tori’s shoulder. After all the lingering kisses in the limo as they welcomed each other back, there was a new passion to their connection now, as they defined what they were doing, or going to do, as _dating_.

Tori pushed closer to Jade, her hand sliding over Jade’s waist as Jade welcomed her advance. The kisses grew more intense, as Jade heard the soft sound in Tori’s throat as their tongues met, and then she felt Tori’s hand sliding up, and fingers pressed briefly on the lower curve of her breast.

Tori’s hand retreated instantly and she broke the kiss, glancing down shyly, “Sorry,” she whispered, then reconnected their lips.

 _Sorry_? Jade had no idea what the apology was for. She focused on Tori’s hand as they dove right back into making out intensely, and it was already creeping back up from Jade’s hip, skirting to the side just next to her breast. Jade continued kissing her, waiting.

Sure enough, the hand drifted over slightly, but then the same thing again--the hand fell back, Tori pulled away and started to whisper “Sor--”

-

Tori stopped mid word, because Jade had grabbed her hand and placed it directly over her breast. Tori sputtered, slightly, briefly, and then froze entirely, jaw slack, staring at her hand, sandwiched between Jade’s palm and her breast. “You can touch them if you want to,” Jade said. It was almost a command.

Tori tried to say _I want to_ , but all that came out was a small sound somewhere between a whimper and a squeak. Instead, she focused her attention on her hand. Her fingers had curved over the contours of the breast automatically when Jade had placed her hand there, and now she moved them, slowly, experimentally, feeling the soft, pliable flesh, the weight of it, the dizzying sensation of what could only be Jade’s nipple against her palm, through the thin fabric of the t-shirt. She remembered to breathe, letting out a shaky exhale and licking her lips.

“There’s another one over here, too,” Jade teased, moving Tori’s hand to her other breast. Tori could barely tear her eyes away from her hand, but a glance at Jade showed she was smirking at Tori’s reaction, though her eyes were hungry in a way that made Tori feel like she might start spiraling out of control.

As Tori began to slowly move her hand over and between Jade’s breasts, inexpressible feelings building throughout her body, she abruptly realized that they weren’t kissing, that Jade seemed to be waiting for something. “Do you...want to touch me?” Tori managed.

“Yes,” Jade breathed.

Tori nodded, watching Jade’s face until her eyes fluttered shut at the sensation of Jade’s hand on her breast, nothing but Tori’s tank top between them. “Oh,” she managed, not sure what she was trying to say, but every subtle movement of Jade’s hand felt like it echoed like heat and lightning all over Tori’s skin, through her very bones.

She didn’t think she even had to open her eyes to find Jade’s mouth, and they were kissing again. Tori felt wildly hot, her hand still lightly caressing Jade’s breast. She was pushing closer to her, leaving them without much room to maneuver their hands, but it was as though Tori couldn’t stop feeling, couldn’t stop wanting.

The sound of a door shattered the moment, and Tori sprang away from Jade at the same moment that Jade herself jerked back. By the time she realized that it wasn’t her bedroom door, she could hear Trina in the bathroom, rooting around for something in the medicine cabinet or under the sink, singing something tunelessly. Tori felt her ears burning, and looked at Jade out of the corner of her eye.

Jade met her gaze, her lips tight with evident frustration. She looked distinctly ruffled, her eyes fever bright and her pale cheeks pink. “It’s literally the middle of the night, what could she possibly be doing?” she grumbled.

When she first tried to speak, Tori’s voice was absent. She cleared her throat and tried again. “No idea.” She was grateful to have the common goal of bitching about Trina because she wasn’t exactly sure what else she was supposed to say in this moment.

-

Jade sat up a bit, stretching her neck while she listened to Trina continue to knock around in the bathroom. “Well, she needs to hurry up and _go away_.” Tori seemed...quiet. “You okay?” She’d been quick to welcome Tori’s touch, to the point that she’d directly assisted, and now she wondered if maybe things were moving a little fast for Tori.

“Yeah,” Tori nodded and pulled off her glasses, placing them next to her phone. Apparently, that was so that she could lean forward, putting her face into her hands and mumble, “I was just...really liking what we were doing.”

“Kind of picked up on that.” Tori seemed embarrassed and also, well, horny. Jade could relate. They might start having to hang out at her house regularly if they ever wanted to progress past second base. There was still some other ground to cover before they really started getting physical beyond what they were experimenting with tonight, but Jade liked having a plan of action.

For now, Trina was still managing to interrupt them an entire room away, so maybe they’d have to do something else. She reached for Tori’s hand, pulling it away from her presumably pouting face, folded it into a fist, and began doing the tingly hand trick. “Would you rather...send Trina to spend an hour trapped in an elevator with Sinjin or spend an hour at Robbie’s grandma’s house?”

Tori lifted her head up. “Robbie’s grandma, but she has to rub _both_ her feet while she’s there.” She looked down as Jade finished rubbing her hand and the tingling sensation spread through her fingers. “Why’d you do that?”

“Because if you snap right now and kill Trina, you’ll go to prison and miss our date tomorrow,” Jade said. “Anyway, if one of us has to go away for murder, it should be me.”

“I would prefer neither of us end up in prison.”

“I don’t know, have you seen _Caged Heat_? I think I could be very popular.” _Really_ popular, given how much the women hooked up in those old women-in-prison exploitation movies. Okay, maybe not the best topic to bring up in the moment.

There was another sound of a door, then silence from beyond Tori’s closed door to the bathroom. Tori slipped off the bed and crept over to the bathroom door.

“Why are you creeping around? It’s not like she doesn’t know you’re in here.”

Tori shushed Jade and pressed an ear to the door. After a moment, she twisted the knob and peeked inside. “She’s gone,” Tori breathed in relief. From across the room, she was squinting at Jade because her glasses were still next to the bed.

“Can you even see me?” Jade asked, curious.

“Yeah. I just can’t see details super clearly once you’re that far away.”

“Then maybe you should come back over here so you don’t miss any details.”

Tori cast one more glance at the bathroom door, as if willing it to stay quiet on the other side. She quietly padded back to the bed and sat back down on her side.

“Gonna need you to get a little closer to make sure you can see what I’m talking about,” Jade said, urging Tori to lean closer so she could kiss her.

She knew Tori was frustrated and assumed she’d want to pick up where they’d left off, but Jade also understood that moods could shift easily, especially when dealing with annoying people. Her intent had been to reassure, to maintain their baseline without expectation, but Tori, who ten minutes ago kept apologizing for accidentally grazing Jade’s breast, immediately reached for a handful of Jade’s chest.

Jade couldn’t help but laugh. “Going right for it, huh?”

“Oh, I thought,” Tori reacted by letting go, but Jade shook her head and guided it back to where it was.

“I like it,” encouraged Jade.

-

Tori blushed but pressed on. She was determined to explore this new territory, especially when it made Jade breathe the way she was right now, against Tori’s ear. She turned her head to kiss again, feeling like she’d already learned so much in the limited time they’d been doing this (all of it, in the driveway, the Jet Brew line, the limo) and was starting to pick up on what encouraged certain small sounds from Jade. Like, right there, that light breathy whine when Tori’s tongue gently urged against Jade’s. There was an entire unspoken vocabulary they were building and Tori had a feeling this was merely the beginning of whatever could possibly grow between them.

Jade’s hands had been more still after Tori rejoined her on the bed, simply wrapped around Tori to encourage her closeness. But now one hand was sliding up her torso, fingers tracing over the curves of her breast before her palm followed, and Tori exhaled audibly between kisses at the deliberate strokes of Jade’s hand. There was an answering brief throaty sound of satisfaction from Jade, and the caress of Jade’s hand grew firmer, her head tilting to break their kisses and trail lips down Tori’s neck.

Tori’s head was swimming, anchored only by Jade’s hot hands and hot mouth on her body. She was still touching Jade’s breasts, too, but her motions were less deliberate and more instinctual now as her focus had shattered. Warmth was spreading through her body from her torso and down her limbs, chasing the thrill of pleasure tingling all over Tori from each place Jade touched her. She whimpered, softly, trying and failing to verbally tell Jade how good everything felt, but a throaty hum of amusement told her Jade got the message anyway.

Jade lips were back on hers, but the angle between them had changed. Jade’s body was still for a moment’s hesitation, then the hand on Tori’s breast found her shoulder, and Jade was leaning in, and Tori’s stomach leapt and did somersaults all the way down as she comprehended that Jade was gently bearing her down onto the bed, onto her back.

Tori’s heart was hammering, and Jade was half on top of her, breasts against hers with only the thin layers of sleep tops and Tori’s hand between them. There was a swell building in Tori’s chest, rapidly becoming almost unbearable as the weight of Jade’s upper body settled hesitantly against hers. She dug fingertips into Jade’s back with the hand that wasn’t sandwiched between their breasts, wanting Jade to know how desperate she felt, though she couldn’t express what exactly she was yearning for.

She became aware that Jade was kneeling next to her, and evidently that wasn’t ideal, because Jade began to lean and settle onto her side, arm wrapping around Tori’s body to carry her with her, until they were side by side, and still kissing. There was more space now for their hands between their bodies, and they were both using that to their advantage, and Tori pushed her hips closer to Jade’s, their knees knocking together, whimpering softly against her mouth with want.

Until Tori heard the quiet knock at her door. She and Jade sprang apart, and she felt like a bucket of ice had been poured between them. “Goodnight, girls,” she heard her dad’s voice through the door. “Get some rest.”

 _Oh, god_. “Goodnight, Dad,” Tori replied in a wavering voice.

Jade didn’t answer, maybe not trusting herself to speak. Tori turned to look at her, wide-eyed, heart still pounding but pushing very different sensations through her body with her blood. Chiz, Jade still looked amazing, and Tori thought she could absolutely start kissing her again, but it was as though the interruption had drained her body of whatever energy was left in her.

“We should probably get some sleep,” Tori said reluctantly.

She could see Jade’s throat move as she swallowed, and the tip of her tongue ran over her lips. “Probably,” she agreed, sounding equally unenthusiastic.

Tori got up to turn off the lights, finding her phone where she’d dropped it and plugging it in, and connecting Jade’s in for her at the charger on her desk. When she returned to the bed, Jade was now under the covers but still lying on her side, facing Tori, who mirrored the position as she settled, finding Jade’s hand and wrapping her own around it. Jade pulled their interlocked fingers to her chest, close to her heart, and Tori realized that she was dealing with someone who, despite her hard edges and dark personality, proved to be kind of a big softie. She’d been gentle with Tori as they navigated this, despite their differences in experience. Though, as far as Tori knew, Jade had only had the one long-term boyfriend and no ex-girlfriends to speak of, so maybe her tentative approach was also because this wasn’t familiar territory. At least in regard to dating (which, holy chiz, they were actually dating) someone of the same gender.

All of these thoughts were rolling around in Tori’s head as she finally closed her eyes and focused on the soft breathing next to her, the rise and fall of Jade’s chest against their interlocked hands, and the reality that, in the same night, she’d performed on stage at the Platinum Music Awards, had Jade West ask her on a date, and touched a boob. Two of them. Omg, Jade had touched _her_ boobs. Wasn’t this second base? Or did it have to be under the shirt? She wasn’t sure on the specifics, but there was some baseball metaphor for what had happened on her bed tonight and while she really hadn’t been that preoccupied with the idea of sex up until lately, she was beginning to understand what the big deal might be. Wait, oh god. What about sex? How did she even...like, she _got it_ , in theory. But imagining what that might look like with Jade...Tori hoped she’d be...like...okay at it. If they even got there. Okay, _when_ they got there. Eventually. There was no rush. Especially if people kept interrupting them every five minutes.

For now, at least, the house was quiet and Tori finally fell asleep after what seemed like the longest week of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Only Wanna Dance With You_ by Kesha.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode events of:
> 
> How Trina Got In (3.09)
> 
> Tori Goes Platinum (3.10)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is a Virgin Who Can't Drive:**
> 
> Jade held up her end of their deal without much complaint, purchasing the biggest bucket of popcorn they had at the movie theater concession stand. It was so huge, Tori considered changing the size, but then she stuck to her guns. Jade had agreed to buying monstrosity so Tori was holding her to it.
> 
> When they sat down, the bucket literally took up her entire lap. She began eating while they waited for the lights to dim, but after about five handfuls, she was so over it. Jade noticed she’d stopped eating.
> 
> “What’s the matter, Tori?” Jade’s voice coyly drawled in that teasing way Tori had become familiar with right from the first day they met. “Something wrong with your popcorn?”
> 
> “Haha. You were right, okay?” Tori admitted. “It’s too much and I’m too full.” She wiped her hands on a napkin, then tried to figure out where to put the massive bucket.
> 
> “Here,” Jade lifted it off Tori’s lap. “You’re sure you don’t want this?”
> 
> “Yeah,” Tori groaned. She hoped she hadn’t made herself sick.
> 
> “Hey,” Jade said, to the group in the row in front of them. “Take this. It’s free.” When they questioned the offer, Jade shook it at them. “ _TAKE IT_.” A guy quickly accepted the bucket from her. “Now sit down and be quiet,” she commanded. “There,” she said to Tori.
> 
> “My hero.”


	7. Do I make your heart beat like an 808 drum

“Tori, I need a sports bra-- _oh, my god_!”

Jade was not thrilled to have been woken up by Trina’s screech-factory of a voice. She’d been dead asleep, having a perfectly nice dream about a haunted movie theater and now she was squinting and covering her head with a pillow as she groaned. Tori’s reaction had been to jerk away from Jade (because they were apparently spooning, something Jade faintly remembered happening when she’d briefly woken up earlier), fall out of the bed, clamor for her glasses, and stand up to face-off against Trina.

“Get out of here!” Tori demanded.

Jade peeked out from under her pillow, though she regretted it as soon as Trina brought the noise level back up to ear drum-piercing.

“You’re _soooo_ busted,” Trina decided.

“Dad told her she could stay the night.”

“Yeah, I don’t think he meant like that.” Trina laughed incredulously.

“You know what, Trinus Interruptus,” Jade said, finally sitting up, “it’s none of your business.”

“It’s my business if my little sister has a witch in bed with her.”

“Aw, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me.”

“Trina,” there was now clear warning in Tori’s voice. “Leave us alone.”

Trina huffed and stormed back into the adjoining bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

“What a ray of sunshine,” Jade deadpanned, falling back onto her pillow.

“Ugh,” Tori fumed, flopping back onto the bed and pinching the bridge of her nose above her glasses, “She has _no_ boundaries,” she griped. A few moments later, her hand dropped from her face onto her pillow, and she turned her head, “Morning,” she offered feebly, with a weak smile.

“Morning,” Jade replied flatly, taking in Tori’s messy bedhead and rumpled tank top and dorky glasses.

Tori shot up suddenly, “Be right back,” she told Jade, and strode into the bathroom. Jade could only blink after her in confusion. It was too early, and she was too under-caffeinated, to make sense of the utter weirdness of the Vega sisters.

She heard the sink running as she stared at Tori’s ceiling.

So much had happened in the last twelve hours. Up until Tori found her backstage, Jade had been uncertain about what might happen between them, if they’d ever speak to each other again. Now, here she was, in Tori’s _bed_ of all places, having just been woken up by Trina. And in between all of that had been the party and the ride home and the intense make-out session in Tori’s room. Jade felt her cheeks warm at the memory of it.

She’d literally never had to tell someone to touch her boobs before. Granted, she’d been in a relationship with Beck for most of their existence, but the handful of awkward dating experiences she’d had with boys in the latter half of junior high often had some instance of them trying to feel her up. The ones she didn’t date still stared.

Beck was generally considerate, but he was still a red-blooded Canadian (yikes) young man and, when things were heated, could move a little too fast. Not that Jade was all rose petals and easy listening saxophone jazz when it came to sex (and everything in the surrounding neighborhood), but there was always a time and a place for things.

Tori had been so hesitant that Jade wasn’t sure, at first, if she was even really trying to go for it. But judging by the way she’d responded when Jade had given the okay, she was certainly curious. Jade could relate. Kissing a girl at theater camp when she was thirteen hadn’t really involved any kind of groping, so while Jade certainly had more experience than Tori in general, this was new for her, too. But remembering the way Tori had sounded, the way she’d pushed closer and kissed harder, and the way it felt to have Tori’s tentative hand touch her like she might disappear if she moved too fast, Jade knew that curiosity had quickly turned to desire for both of them.

She wondered, idly, what might have happened next if Tori’s dad hadn’t knocked. One of these days, there might not be a reason to slow down, and the thought of it was both exhilarating and a little bit terrifying.

When Tori emerged from the bathroom, mentioning something about having to forage for their own breakfast, Jade grabbed her bra and took her turn at the sink, brushing her teeth and running her fingers through her hair to remove the bedhead element as much as she could. Once she’d put her bra back on, she tied up the borrowed t-shirt at her hip so she didn’t look like a complete disaster. Though, if Trina was down there, then there would already be something to offset the scale.

Speak of the talentless devil, there was a rattling from Trina’s door, then pounding. Jade ignored her and, when she decided she looked presentable enough in the event the Vega parents laid eyes on her, she left the bathroom without unlocking the adjoining door.

Tori was stretched out on the unmade bed, scrolling through her phone. Jade pulled the covers up on the side where she’d slept and sat on top of the comforter. “You said something about breakfast?”

“Yeah, I hope you like cereal or cereal.” Tori turned her phone screen toward Jade. “Have you seen this?”

Of course she hadn’t, she’d laid in bed thinking about getting felt up and then had gone to brush her teeth. Jade watched the video that played. It was the two of them with Mason Thornesmith, though most of their interview where they’d called him out was edited away. Still, he came off looking like a pretty greasy character, so Jade felt vindicated. She wondered what other press might follow them after last night, though she imagined that Mason was doing whatever he could to deflect interest from them.

Tori lowered her phone after the video ended. They were facing each other on the bed, and it was only natural for Tori to lean in for a kiss. Ordinarily, Jade had very strict rules about what sorts of things were allowed to happen before coffee, but today, she was perfectly willing to make an exception.

But Tori, apparently, wasn’t oblivious, because she kept the kiss brief, if no less stimulating, then stated, “I’m sure you need coffee.”

“You got that right,” Jade grumbled.

“Come on,” Tori stood up, and as they started toward the bedroom door, Trina came barging in.

“Tori!” she hollered, “Why is my bathroom door locked?” She flung Tori’s bathroom door open.

“Whoops,” Jade snarked, “Didn’t know you needed to get in there, Trina.”

Trina glowered at her before slamming Tori’s bathroom door. Tori was biting her lip. “I’m sure I should tell you not to antagonize her, but...someone should.”

“As if I’d listen,” Jade smirked.

They headed down the stairs, and over Tori’s shoulder, Jade could see the Vega parents in the kitchen. David was at the stove, and Jade heard an egg crack. “Hope you girls are hungry,” he commented.

To her surprise, Tori stopped in her tracks next to the piano. “ _One_ glass! We had _one_ glass of champagne at the afterparty! And I didn’t even finish mine! _And_ we got a ride home in a limo, with a very nice driver named Elaine who made sure we got inside okay! _And_ , I am _not_ visiting Grandma today, because we,” she gestured emphatically between herself and Jade, “have a date!”

“Whoooa,” Jade chuckled in shock and astonishment, her eyes going wide.

Tori’s parents appeared unfazed, but then, Jade reasoned, they also lived with Trina, so Tori’s outburst was probably nothing to bat an eye over.

“You’re not in trouble, sweetie,” Holly said. Tori fumed at this, and Jade swore her eye started to twitch behind her glasses. Holly quickly placated her, “We just wanted to celebrate your big night.”

“Oh,” Tori subsided, though she still looked a little suspicious.

“Is there coffee?” Jade asked her. She would definitely need some to get through this morning.

“Coffee is ready,” David affirmed.

“I’ll get you some,” Tori told her.

Tori went into the kitchen to pour them each a cup, while Jade circled around to stand near the garage door. It felt weird to sit down and wait to be served, so she surveyed the activity in the kitchen instead. David appeared to be cooking eggs and bacon, and Tori’s mom was adding some juice and powder to a blender.

“Jade, would you mind passing me the frozen berries that are in the freezer?” Holly asked. It was a reasonable request; Jade was right there, and Holly was wiping up some of the mystery powder that had spilled on the counter. “They’re in the door, about eye level.”

“Sure,” Jade replied, but when she opened the freezer, something else caught her eye. “Hello,” she said, pulling out a stuffed dog toy. Absently, she also looked and quickly found the requested berries, placing them on the counter next to Tori’s mom.

“So, what’s the story with this guy?” Jade asked. Tori was holding two mugs of coffee and heading for the dining room table, so Jade walked over to join her.

“Oh, god,” Tori shivered, “He’s a living nightmare, that’s why he lives in the fridge.”

This greatly intrigued Jade. Tori had never mentioned having a demon or a haunted doll that lived in her house. “Why, does he climb up into people’s beds in the night or something?” She turned the dog in her hands curiously, but set him down on the table to reach for her coffee and finally take her first sip before even sitting down. She closed her eyes contentedly. Once again, Tori had gotten the sugar ratio just right.

A maniacal, child-like cackling caught her attention, and she looked down to find the possessed stuffed dog rolling around on the dining room table, giggling like true hellspawn. Jade’s smile widened. This was _fantastic_.

Tori, however, shuddered violently, and shouted, “Nope! Back in the freezer for you!” She reached across Jade to grab the thing and hurried into the kitchen, chucking it back into the freezer. Jade heard the giggles continue for a brief moment, then nothing.

“This morning just gets better and better,” she grinned, finally sitting down next to Tori.

“Do you eat bacon, Jade?” David was asking.

“Yes,” Jade said, then a moment later, “Thank you.”

“Oh, Tori,” David started, “Do you know what happened to all the mustard? We seem to be out and I saw half a dozen empty bottles in the trash when I took it out last night.”

Tori sighed and rolled her eyes, “You’ll have to ask Trina about that one.”

“I was afraid of that,” David said regretfully.

Tori’s parents served them plates of eggs, toast and bacon and smoothies shortly thereafter. Jade remembered Tori saying that her parents hardly ever just served her food, but the last two times Jade was here, this had happened.

David and Holly had evidently already eaten, because they sat down at the table without any breakfast. “So,” Holly started, “Tell us all about last night.”

Naturally, Jade let Tori do most of the talking as she filled her parents in on the celebrities they’d seen, and the afterparty, though Jade interjected any important points she thought Tori missed. Tori even unabashedly described the group pouring champagne, and Andre’s toast to Tori, looking like she might even be tearing up a little bit at the memory of it.

Jade had finished her food, and her first cup of coffee, while Tori did most of the talking, so she stood up to get herself another cup. She paused, noticing Tori’s cup next to her was not quite half empty, and picked up both mugs to refill. Tori thanked her as she walked away, sounding a little too touched by the gesture than Jade thought was appropriate. Maybe she was still emotional from talking about Andre’s toast.

Jade refilled her cup and added her sugar, and topped off Tori’s. She hesitated. She knew Tori liked her coffee light and sweet, but she also didn’t think Tori’s standards for a perfect cup were quite as high as hers. She dashed a little sugar on top and opened the fridge to add a splash of cream, then brought their mugs back to the table.

She saw Tori’s mom watching her with a conspiratorial smile, and avoided eye contact.

As they were winding up talking about their night, Jade noticed that both Tori’s parents seemed to be watching her a little more closely. She sipped her coffee, trying not to seem nervous under their scrutiny, while Tori worked on her breakfast.

“So, are you working on anything new, Jade? Writing any plays or films?” Holly asked.

It was a surprisingly astute question. Jade guessed that Tori’s parents must actually pay attention to things their daughters said. It was a weird amount of parental involvement to see play out in front of her.

But before Jade could say much about what she was working on, Trina came thundering down the stairs. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and grinned widely at Tori, “Wow, Tori,” she said sarcastically, “Your breakfast looks fantastic!”

“It _is_ fantastic,” Tori told her smugly. Something was passing between the sisters that Jade didn’t quite understand.

All these family dynamics were honestly a little overwhelming.

“Trina, make sure you’re ready to go to Grandma’s at noon,” reminded Holly.

“What did _I_ do?” Trina asked.

David turned his attention to Tori and Jade. “I’m about to head out to run a few errands if you’d like a ride home, Jade.”

“Oh,” that’s right, she’d been picked up by a driver to go to the awards and taken the limo here. “Yes, thank you, Mr. Vega.”

She followed Tori back upstairs so she could change back into her clothes.

“I can ride with you if it’s too weird,” Tori offered.

“Nah, I’m kind of thrilled to take a ride with Daddy,” Jade teased.

“Please never say that again.”

“No promises,” Jade said, pulling off the shorts that Tori had loaned her and tugging back on her leggings. “Can I wear this home?” she asked, referencing the shirt. It was far more comfortable than the other top she’d worn the day before.

“Yeah, of course.” Tori gazed at her for a beat.

“What?”

“You’re wearing my t-shirt home. It’s...nice.”

Jade made an offended noise in her throat but her mouth betrayed her actual feelings with a small smile. “It’s totally nerdy. Reminds me of you.”

“Leaving in five!” came David’s voice from the bottom of the stairs.

Jade sat down in Tori’s desk chair to put on her boots, lacing and tying them with the same practiced efficiency she always did while Tori watched with interest.

“You’re so fast at that.”

“A girl’s gotta get to know her knots,” said Jade.

Tori’s brow furrowed, “In what way?”

“Whatever way I need.” Jade stood and walked over to where Tori sat on the bed. “Kiss me goodbye so I can leave and then come back to pick you up in a few hours.”

Tori rose to her knees on the bed and met Jade’s lips for a simple kiss. It was easy to be chaste about things with Trina storming by in the hall and Tori’s dad announcing he was grabbing his keys.

“Bye,” said Tori, sounding a little forlorn.

“Aw, buck up, sunshine!” Jade said in the Sally Peaches voice, giving Tori a light chuck to the chin.

“I don’t talk like--”

Jade gave her one more kiss, then grabbed her bag and moved for the stairs.

In the car, she reminded Tori’s dad of her address and watched him punch it into the maps app on his phone before clipping it to the air vent mount. Yep, David Vega was such a dad. Especially when he began to casually give Jade the third degree on the drive.

“So, you and Tori have a date later?”

“We do,” Jade confirmed, though she didn’t freely offer up more than than.

“Well, that’s nice,” he said, then not so subtly segued to, “You do remember that I’m a cop, right?”

“Boy, do I.” Jade glanced at him, curious, “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen on the job?”

“Weird in what way?”

“I don’t know, this is LA, pick any weird you want.”

“I once pulled over a car full of clowns.”

There was no way this was true unless the members of Vega family were all clown magnets. “You did not.”

“I did.”

“How many?” Jade asked, expecting a punchline.

“Four.”

That seemed to be the real answer. “Huh.” She continued to probe him for more stories, hoping it would keep the topic off of her newly budding relationship with his daughter and it worked, for the most part.

When they approached Jade’s driveway, David commented, “You must’ve had to go all the way up and around that week you drove Tori home from school.”

The week they were literally interrupted every single day by Tori’s family? “A little, I guess. But I didn’t mind doing her the favor.” The SUV had stopped and Jade pulled at the door handle. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Have a good time tonight,” he said. As Jade shut the door, the window rolled down. “And she’s home by ten on a school night.”

“Copy that, Officer.”

-

Tori stayed in her bedroom after Jade had left, not even interested in getting up to close the door. Though she was excited about her date later, it was also a school night, and because of all school she’d missed the past week and a half, she was behind in all her classes. So while Trina sang obnoxiously loud in the shower in the room next door, Tori reluctantly started spreading her homework out on the bed, trying to focus on prioritizing her assignments.

**What’s with your family and clowns?**

**What???**

**Don’t worry about it**

Tori didn’t really get a chance to worry about that or anything, because then a series of texts rolled in.

**Your dad’s nice**

**Which is weird**

**I’m not used to that**

**He also gave me a real stern “Tori’s home by 10” mini dad-lecture**

**OMG that is so embarrassing**

**Do you have anything specific you want to see tonight?**

**No we can just see what’s playing**

**K**

Trina was finished with her shower by the time Tori’s dad came home, and Tori was just beginning to appreciate the silence and get absorbed in her homework when she heard her parents downstairs.

“How’d it go?” Holly asked. Tori perked up.

“She’s weird,” Tori’s dad replied, sounding serious, “Really weird.” Their voices were getting louder. “I like her,” he finally said, and Tori heard their footsteps on the stairs.

They passed by Tori’s bedroom door a moment later. “Tori, we’re heading to Grandma’s soon. We’ll be back in a few hours,” her mom told her.

“Okay,” Tori smiled at them. She heard her dad calling through Trina’s bedroom door a little further down the hall, and Trina screeching back. She sighed and tried to tune it out as she worked on her homework.

But fifteen minutes later, the house was mercifully quiet. Tori worked productively on some of the classwork she had for an hour or so, but then she started getting thirsty. She padded downstairs for some water, and poked her head into the fridge, trying to decide how hungry she was. She eyed the hotdogs, but then remembered Trina had used all the mustard, that gank. She settled on an orange to tide her over until she got hungry enough to really consider lunch.

As she stood peeling her orange and sipping her water, her mind left her homework and her thoughts drifted back to Jade, and how she’d actually spent the night in Tori’s bed with her. And everything that had come before that. The kissing. The touching. She remembered how it felt to touch Jade’s breasts, Jade’s mouth kissing along her neck, and especially the thrill that burned through her body when Jade had pushed her down on the bed. She became aware that some of that same feeling was flooding her body, just remembering it all.

Tori realized she had stopped peeling her orange as she got lost in her reverie. And then she realized that she was home alone, for at least a couple more hours.

She abandoned her orange and her glass of water on the kitchen counter and headed upstairs, closing her bedroom door. Her homework was still spread over her bed, and she gathered it up haphazardly and set it on her desk, then returned to lie down on the mattress.

She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift to the previous evening, dwelling on the memory of sensation as Jade had kissed her and touched her. She remembered with a surge of strange longing how intense everything had felt the night before, how she had felt hot and like she wanted things she didn’t have words for. She felt slow warmth in her body now.

Tori lacked experience, but it wasn’t as if these feelings were a mystery. She just wasn’t entirely sure what to do about them. But she was starting to think she needed to deal with them, or she might not be able to refocus on her homework.

She thought back to her encounter with Jade, remembering how it felt to kiss her, the shock to her senses when Jade had placed her hand directly on her breast, the t-shirt a thin barrier that provided texture but certainly did little to disguise the shape and feel of what was underneath. The giddy lightheadedness she’d felt upon realizing she could feel Jade’s nipples under her hands.

Tori let her memory be her guide, her own hand lightly covering her breast as she remembered Jade’s first tentative touches there. She moved slowly, letting herself imagine how it felt for Jade, feeling heat on her face as she realized just how little the tank top she was still wearing had hidden. But it felt nice, and she continued to touch, stoking her passion with fingertips running over her body.

She didn’t have event memory to guide what came next, only fantasy, the memory of bodily sensations Jade brought out of her, and some basic knowledge of anatomy. Her previous attempts at this, born out of curiosity more than seeking satiation, hadn’t yielded much. That was part of her hesitation, but it occurred to her as her hand slid down her stomach that maybe this wasn’t exactly _appropriate_. She and Jade hadn’t even gone on their first date yet, was it really okay to be doing this while thinking about her?

Tori tried not to let it bother her as she slid her hand into her shorts.

Her phone buzzed on the bedside table. She could have kept going, but this maybe felt like a sign she was supposed to at least wait until a date or two before fantasizing about a person. She blushed when she checked the message, not because of the content, but because it was from Jade.

**How about Ghost Doll at 7:15?**

Of course. A horror movie. That’s what she got for not making a suggestion. She had to remember who she was dealing with (as if she could really ever forget).

**Plenty of time to get you home**

**Can’t have you “in trouble” all week again**

**Yeah okay**

She wanted to say more, though was that stupid? They’d spent the entire night together, were seeing each other again in a couple of hours, and would also spend every day at school together. Tori decided to take the chance with:

**I can’t wait to see you**

**I have that effect on people**

Maybe Tori was being too mushy, too soon. She didn’t want to come off desperate. This was Jade, after all. Then another message came through.

**Kinda can’t wait to see you too**

Great, now Tori was grinning like chiz-head and still horny (omg) and thinking about Jade. But still, she felt weird about touching herself to someone who wasn’t even officially her girlfriend. Yet. Or...was that what they were going for? Probably, right? Wasn’t that the point of mixing an actual date and making out? Apparently, they still needed to talk about that. For now, she had a date in about two hours and still had a huge stack of assignments to work through, so she decided a shower might clear her head a little. People talked about cold showers and she figured she’d try one.

Tori lasted all of one single second in her first official cold shower, screaming as soon as the chilly water hit her skin. She immediately reached for the faucet handle and cranked it to the appropriate warmth. But even just one second did the job. She was too busy chattering her teeth and huddling under the warming water to worry about anything remotely sexual.

With everyone out of the house, Tori had total peace in the bathroom while she blow dried her hair and decided what she might wear to Nozu later. She even managed to get halfway through one of her essays for school by the time her parents returned home. Trina had apparently met up with some friends (who, though?), so the quiet continued while her dad worked out in the garage and her mom read through a magazine at the kitchen table.

Tori still had about fifteen minutes before Jade was due to pick her up, and she found herself waiting downstairs. “How’s grandma?” she asked her mom, sitting across the table from her.

“She’s grandma,” Holly replied. “She won a hundred dollars in her bingo tournament and took us all to Sensational Salad.”

“Aw, I love Sensational Salad.” Tori lamented not being able to go to the biggest all-you-can-eat salad bar in Los Angeles county.

Her mom casually flipped a page. “She asked if you have a boyfriend.”

Tori groaned. Her grandma had been asking that on every visit since she was fifteen. Which...she realized this meant there might be more than a few conversations she’d need to have with people. “Yeah, about that...” Then a thought crossed her mind. “Oh no, did Trina say something?”

“Trina was on her best behavior. Although,” Holly closed her magazine and pushed it aside. “She did have a lot to say on the drive over there.”

“Like what?” Tori slumped in her seat.

“She really doesn’t like Jade.”

Tori rolled her eyes. “That’s because she’s always been after Beck.”

Holly hummed, accepting the information without comment. “She also said she’s a witch.”

“That’s ridiculous. I mean, I think. I don’t think she is? Huh. She does have a lot of jars of weird stuff in her room.” Tori ruminated on what all of that might mean, but then remembered she was in the middle of a conversation. “What do you and dad think of her?” She kind of already knew the answer to this because of what she’d overheard earlier.

Holly watched her daughter from across the table. “Honey, if you like her and she likes you, then I think we just have to trust you to be responsible.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course,” reassured Holly. “Grandma, on the other hand...we’ll have to see.”

Tori’s phone buzzed on the table.

A text from Jade.

Tori’s mouth dropped open. “I’ve got to go.”

“Have fun on your date,” her mom replied.

As she suspected, Jade was outside waiting in her car. Tori slid into the passenger’s seat. “You _meme’d_ me?!”

“Yeah, I did,” Jade rasped, grinning.

Jade was clearly very pleased with herself, and Tori was torn between amusement and horror. “I...oh my god,” she sputtered.

“Hey, don’t worry. It’s just for my own personal amusement.” She smirked. “For now.”

“Jade!”

In answer, Jade leaned over the center console, gently drawing Tori in for a kiss. Her frustration forgotten, Tori met her lips eagerly in greeting, a prelude to their date.

“I thought the kiss was supposed to come after the date,” Tori teased when they pulled apart.

“I’m not interested in conventional,” replied the girl who’d asked her to dinner and a movie. But she smiled at Tori knowingly, as if having a similar thought. “Alright. Ready for sushi?”

“ _So_ ready.”

-

They were seated at Nozu, not at the bar like on their pseudo-date, but this time at a booth in the back for a little more privacy. Though away from the bathroom. Jade couldn’t deal with seats near the bathroom. So gross.

They’d looked at the menus only briefly, since they both pretty much knew it by heart, and sat waiting for their server to reappear. Tori was looking around them, “I wonder why the theme of this restaurant is, like, robots.”

“Kaiju,” Jade explained absently. She wasn’t _nervous_ to be on this date with Tori, but there was certainly some exhilaration in her blood, and she was trying to seem normal.

“Uh...excuse me?” Tori furrowed her brow at Jade.

“It’s basically a Japanese film genre. Giant monster movies. Giant robots count, too.”

“Ooh,” Tori nodded, “So like, Godzilla?”

“Exactly like Godzilla.”

Their server brought their drinks--waters and an iced green tea for Tori--but right behind her was Mrs. Lee. “Tori Vega!” she greeted enthusiastically.

Jade remembered that Tori had mentioned she’d yelled at Mrs. Lee the last time she’d been here. Tori looked equally mystified at the greeting. “Um, hello,” she replied.

“You were on the Platinum Music Awards! Incredible! And now you’re here with your playwright friend. Jane, right?”

“Jade,” Jade corrected slowly, glancing at Tori uncertainly.

“That’s right, Jade! We’re so glad you’re here.”

Tori was smirking slightly, “I thought we were those mean girls who left your daughter hanging for hours?”

“Oh, that? Just a misunderstanding!” Mrs. Lee waved it off, “We laugh about it now. Every night!”

“Oh,” Tori nodded doubtfully, “Well, that’s great news.”

“Yes, it is,” Jade agreed. This was too funny.

“Everything you want today is on the house!” Mrs. Lee told them. She turned and intercepted a server who was carrying a bowl of edamame, presumably to another table entirely. “Here, edamame for a starter, and then we will bring you some of our best sushi!”

“Nothing with squid, please,” Tori said squeamishly.

Mrs. Lee laughed, “Oh, squid, we don’t even serve squid anymore! And then when you’re finished, I’ll get a picture with you!”

“Um, okay,” Tori forced a smile, “That sounds great, Mrs. Lee.”

“Yeah,” Jade drawled, “And I’m sure you know what happens when Tori Vega doesn’t like her food.”

Tori glared at her, but Mrs. Lee was already bustling away.

They started on the edamame, which was good to have in front of them, because Jade wasn’t sure what to say. Okay, she was definitely excited to be on this date, but maybe she _was_ a little nervous. Which was stupid, because she and Tori had talked the night before, about a lot of important things, and then had made out like crazy after that, and then had spent the night together. But after the air was cleared and they’d made it apparent that they actually liked each other, Jade was starting to worry that maybe they didn’t know how to spend time together when they weren’t making out. It wasn’t as though they had a lot of practice at being friends.

Tori licked her lips, dropping an edamame shell onto the dish beneath the bowl. She smiled contentedly at Jade over the table, and as she picked up another one she said, “So if you were a kashi monster, what kind would you be?”

Jade thought she’d be irritated if it were anyone else, but Tori’s slip up was actually endearing, “It’s _kaiju_ ,” she corrected, enunciating it. Tori winced and nodded. “And...I don’t know. I think I like the idea of being some kind of ancient creature coming out of hiding rather than something made by man.” She considered. “Maybe I’d be a giant sea slug.” It was a genuinely horrific image, and Jade could only imagine being the kind of monster she herself would fear.

“You hate the ocean,” Tori pointed out.

“Yeah, because things like that could live in it and we’d never know.” She was starting to settle into their conversation. Somehow Tori always found a way to entertain her. “What about you?” she asked Tori.

Tori shrugged, “I don’t know, all I really know is what you just told me, that they’re giant creatures or robots, and some are man made and some aren’t. What are my options?”

“Basically anything,” Jade told her between edamame bites. She considered Tori, smirking, “Actually, you’d probably just wear that Street Fighter outfit you wore to Chew, except you’d be enormous. It’d be perfect.”

Tori groaned, “I hated that outfit.”

“You should. It was hideous.” Jade wondered if she’d ever get tired of making fun of the ravioli incident. She also wondered how long Tori would let her keep bringing it up.

But for now, Tori didn’t seem too bothered by it. “Maybe I’d be like Mothra, but like, a butterfly.” She seemed to sense that Jade was about to roll her eyes, and continued, “I could be just as destructive! I’d just look better doing it.”

Jade considered that, “That’s fair.” She ran her eyes down Tori’s torso, “You do clean up nice.” Although neither of them were what she’d call ‘dressed up’ for their date, Jade had put some extra effort into wearing something that made her feel good and look good, and she thought Tori had done the same.

Tori blushed and picked up another edamame. Jade watched it disappear between her lips. She was already a whole lot less nervous.

Not that she’d ever admit to nerves in the first place.

Dinner progressed without any more major lulls and even when there was a break in the conversation, it at least felt natural and not totally awkward. Mrs. Lee stopped by their table during dessert and posed with them while Kwakoo, the security guard/sushi chef, snapped a photo.

“Hey, can we maybe get a copy of that…” Tori began to ask, but Mrs. Lee and Kwakoo were already walking away.

“Why do you want a picture with her in it, anyway?” Jade asked.

“It’s our first celebrity photograph!” Tori exclaimed. “And…I thought it would be a nice souvenir of our first date.”

Okay, that was a pretty good point. But there were other options, at least in regard to Tori’s second reason. Jade picked up her phone and opened the photo app. She turned so she had both herself and Tori in the frame. “Say _kaiju_.” The resulting image was pretty cute, actually. She immediately sent Tori the picture then listened to her “ _Awww!_ ” about it. “You can post it if you want. It’s way too cutesy for my Slap aesthetic.”

Tori glanced up from her phone. “You’d be okay with me posting about our date?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Jade had made the effort to ask Tori out because she liked her. Who cared what anyone else thought about it? Of course, this was Tori, so maybe Jade needed to clarify. “I mean, maybe don’t get too detailed about anything that happens in the car later, but...I’m okay with this being public or whatever.”

“I guess I just hadn’t thought about anyone else until right now.”

Jade didn’t think their personal business was anyone else’s, but she also wasn’t the type to shy away from something she wanted just because another person might have a strong opinion about it. And, what she wanted, was to have an opportunity to figure out this thing with Tori. She’d thought, back when she’d talked Tori into making the Shadow Creek Park video, that she needed to cover her lighter, fluffier feelings for Tori with her sharper, darker persona but that had only seemed to confuse Tori about what Jade wanted from her. The video was still just sitting on her phone. The way they were, right now, with Tori posting an update to her Slap profile while Jade casually reached across the table to finish off Tori’s green tea ice cream, that was what she wanted to explore.

Including the part where Tori finally looked up from her phone and noticed her dessert was missing. “Hey!”

“You weren’t eating it.”

“I could have been planning on it.”

“You literally said to me when you were choosing dessert that you still wanted to have room for popcorn later. I’m helping you achieve your goal.”

“You’re so considerate,” Tori was sarcastic, eyes narrowed.

Jade felt maybe kind of bad, but only a little bit. “If you want another one, they’re free.”

“Let’s just go to the movies and you can buy me an extra large bucket of popcorn.”

“Deal.”

Tori, like the total goof she was, reached her hand over the table, offering a handshake. Jade took it, but instead of shaking it, she stood and tugged Tori out of her seat. “Let’s go.”

-

Jade held up her end of their deal without much complaint, purchasing the biggest bucket of popcorn they had at the movie theater concession stand. It was so huge, Tori considered changing the size, but then she stuck to her guns. Jade had agreed to buying monstrosity so Tori was holding her to it.

When they sat down, the bucket literally took up her entire lap. She began eating while they waited for the lights to dim, but after about five handfuls, she was so over it. Jade noticed she’d stopped eating.

“What’s the matter, Tori?” Jade’s voice coyly drawled in that teasing way Tori had become familiar with right from the first day they met. “Something wrong with your popcorn?”

“Haha. You were right, okay?” Tori admitted. “It’s too much and I’m too full.” She wiped her hands on a napkin, then tried to figure out where to put the massive bucket.

“Here,” Jade lifted it off Tori’s lap. “You’re sure you don’t want this?”

“Yeah,” Tori groaned. She hoped she hadn’t made herself sick.

“Hey,” Jade said, to the group in the row in front of them. “Take this. It’s free.” When they questioned the offer, Jade shook it at them. “ _TAKE IT_.” A guy quickly accepted the bucket from her. “Now sit down and be quiet,” she commanded. “There,” she said to Tori.

“My hero.”

The lights dimmed, but Tori was certain Jade had winked at her. Knowing this movie was going to freak her out, Tori pushed the armrest up out of the way so she could grab onto Jade as much as she needed to.

Apparently, Jade had anticipated this. “Scared already?” Despite the teasing, she reached for Tori’s hand and held it on her lap.

The trailers were almost all for similar films to the horror movie they were seeing, so she was already jumpy by the time the actual movie began. Tori liked scary stuff, but she also always reacted very intensely. Every scare had her turning her face against Jade’s shoulder, then peeking at the screen until it was safe to watch again. At one point, when the titular Ghost Doll stalked a pair of babysitters through an abandoned asylum, the tension was too much and Tori kept her face buried against Jade’s neck. She gently nuzzled the smooth skin, placing a kiss here and there under Jade’s jaw until Jade turned and tipped her head to catch Tori’s lips with hers. It only lasted a moment, because Jade’s attention returned to the screen, but she did readjust her position to slip an arm around Tori’s shoulders.

Despite the fact that she would probably have creepy nightmares later, Tori sighed, content, as she snuggled against her date.

It was around 9:30 when Jade pulled into Tori’s driveway.

“And, you’re back in plenty of time to make curfew,” Jade leaned back in her seat and turned her head to smile at Tori.

“You’re quite the courteous date,” Tori told her.

“Eh,” Jade shrugged. “Just don’t want to get in trouble with Officer Vega.” She was still watching Tori, smiling.

“So,” Tori started, “Are you too ‘unconventional’ for a goodnight kiss?”

“I don’t know, did the date go well enough for that?” Jade teased.

In answer, Tori leaned over to capture her lips in a kiss. They’d just gone on their first date, and they had plenty of time left to be alone in Jade’s car, and right now, it just felt like they might get to take their time for once. They kissed softly for a few long moments, relatively chaste, capping off the evening. When they pulled apart, Tori searched for something to say, to let Jade know she’d been thinking about what this meant. “I really like spending time with you,” she said finally. It was the least scary way to say what she’d been feeling those past couple of days.

Jade took her hand. “Me, too,” she said, her voice subdued, “I guess I like more than just kissing you.” Tori smiled, biting her lip. “But I also really, _really_ like kissing you,” Jade’s voice was low, almost a growl, and in a moment, they were kissing again.

Tori couldn’t get close enough. The longer they kissed, the closer she pushed, until she was almost sitting on the center console of the car, trying to get nearer to Jade. All of the excitement of kissing was building rapidly. Jade’s hand was the first to curve over Tori’s breast, and Tori welcomed her touch, taking it as an invitation to mirror Jade’s hand with her own. The inside of Jade’s car started to feel hot, and Tori thought her own body burning was the source, because every breathy exhale from Jade, every touch of her hand, every place her lips touched, seemed to make Tori higher, drunker, wilder with passion.

They pulled apart eventually, and Tori glanced at the clock. 9:50. She sighed, “Maybe I’d better go in.”

Jade nodded reluctantly, “Yeah. I don’t want to cut it too close.” It was sweet that she was taking Tori’s dad so seriously.

“Okay, but you’re walking me to the door.”

Jade’s eyebrow lifted, “I am?”

“Yes!” Tori insisted, “You made me watch that horrifying movie, and you can’t tell from here if the Ghost Doll is hiding among my mom’s plants!”

Jade snorted, “Oh, please. It wasn’t that scary. Or even that good, for that matter.”

“I’ll still probably have a nightmare about it.”

“I accept no responsibility.” Jade pulled down her visor to look in the mirror, fixing at least the worst of her lipstick. “I’ll walk you to the door,” she agreed.

Tori checked the mirror on her side, too. No one in her house needed to know just how heavy making out with Jade had gotten in the car. She wondered how disheveled her clothes looked. It was hard to tell in the dark.

They sauntered up the driveway, hand in hand, Tori setting the pace and taking her time, because she definitely wanted to be home on time, but also wanted to make the most of the few moments that were left before she said goodnight. But there was only so far to go and soon they were standing on the Vega front porch.

“Thanks for a really wonderful first date,” Tori said, swinging their clasped hands between then.

“That good, huh?” Jade questioned. If Tori had any concern about whether Jade was being facetious about it, it was quelled when she leaned in and said, “It was pretty damn good, wasn’t it?” before she kissed Tori one more time.

Tori smiled, feeling giddy over the kiss and the driveway time and the entire night, offered one final, “goodnight,” then unlocked the door to let herself into the house. Her parents were on the sofa, watching television. “Oh, hey…” she said, hoping they’d been in the same seats for the last half hour.

“Hey girls,” said her mom.

Jade still stood in on the patio and David waved her in. “Come on in for a second. How was your night?”

“Good,” said Tori and Jade, in unison.

He checked his watch. “And back by...9:56.”

“Don’t give them a hard time,” chided Holly.

“I’m saying they’re on time, it’s a compliment,” he countered.

Holly patted his arm. “You’re being an awkward dad.”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Vega. I can take it.”

“I think…” began Tori’s dad, “that if you’re going to be taking our daughter on dates and bringing her home within curfew, you can call us by our human names. David and Holly.”

Tori rolled her eyes at how corny he was being, but this was a really good sign.

“Okay,” Jade nodded. “But...what if I still want to call you Officer Vega?”

“Well, that would be wrong because I’m a Lieutenant.”

“Dad, Jade has to get home on time, too,” Tori reminded. She actually didn’t think Jade had a curfew, but she wanted to give her an out. “So, do you have any other pressing questions?”

“I get it, I get it. Goodnight, Jade.”

Tori walked her back out the door. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you.” Jade let her touch trail down Tori’s arm to her hand to her fingers before finally breaking contact.

She watched Jade get into her car, then finally shut the front door. Her parents were still just sitting on the couch, acting like they weren’t watching her. “Okay, goodnight,” she said to them, moving for the stairs. As mortifying as that could have been, it had gone okay since Jade seemed fine to hold her own with Tori’s parents.

Once in her room, she opened up her Slap profile to check the response to her post from earlier.

**Out with Jade at Nozu where they gave us so much free food! 🤗**

**Check the celebrity wall for some familiar faces!**

**Feeling: Celebrated 🤩**

Under the post, she’d included the photo Jade had taken. It wasn’t particularly clear that they were on a date, but when Tori first posted it, she’d assumed everyone might easily put it together that Jade and Tori were...a thing.

Apparently not.

**Andre: Free food?? And you didn’t invite me?**

**Cat: I like that they have so many robots there**

**Robbie: Why’d you get so much free food? And who’s new on the celebrity wall?**

The more she looked at the post and the picture, there really was nothing to suggest it was a date. Maybe things would be more apparent tomorrow when they were all in school together. She wasn’t quite sure how much would change because she certainly wasn’t planning to make out in the halls or anything. But Jade might hold her hand or something that would cue everyone else to their shift in status. Tori realized they hadn’t had any kind of conversation about it, but she supposed they’d figure it out as they went along.

Tori went upstairs to get ready for bed, though she planned to be up working on homework for a little longer. When she was in pajamas and sitting back down with her homework, she checked The Slap and noticed she had another comment.

**Jade: Hot date!**

She grinned at that. Maybe that would clue in some of the clueless.

She decided to check in with Jade.

**Did you make it home yet?**

**No, I decided to make my escape to Tijuana**

**Yes I’m home**

**Good** 😁

**Ready to go back to real life?**

**Regular old Tori on a regular old school day?**

**VERY ready**

**Even though your famous face hangs forever on the wall at Nozu?**

**You’re in that pic too btw so**

**Maybe think about that**

**Hey does your mom have yard gnomes?**

**No?**

**Weird. I thought I saw a doll or something in her planters out front.**

😳😳😳

**JADE WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT**

**Just trying to keep you grounded.**

**THANKS**

Tori shook her head and tried to refocus on her homework. Instead of getting Jade to snuggle with before bed, she had Jade trying to give her nightmares. But it also made her smile in spite of her fear.

She didn’t have much homework left in her, but she felt good that she’d at least made an effort to start getting caught up. She got under the covers and lay back against her pillows, remembering how it had felt to have Jade in bed with her the night before, remembering how it felt for Jade to hold her hand against her chest, and how she’d woken up to Jade spooning her. Though for someone outwardly so prickly, Jade apparently loved snuggling. It was something new about her that Tori was excited to discover.

She sent a final text.

**Goodnight!** 🤖😙

She wasn’t necessarily expecting an instantaneous response, so she plugged her phone in and took off her glasses. She was just starting to settle down onto her pillows when she heard her phone buzz. She picked back up her phone and squinted at the screen.

**Sweet dreams**

👻 🤡

Tori groaned.

She settled back into bed to get some sleep. And in the morning, she discovered that the memories of the comfort of sleeping next to Jade were enough to ward off bad dreams.

-

Monday morning came too early, as it always did, but at least Jade felt like she had a reason to look forward to the day. A couple, actually.

They were beginning semester projects this week which meant there were going to be almost weekly opportunities to be cast in someone’s play or short film. Sikowitz would draw a student’s name and they were then randomly assigned a format (stage or screen) and a genre. This kept students from pre-planning the project they were supposed to be creating, developing, and producing within a week. It was terrifying and Jade always looked forward to it, every year.

The other reason she wasn’t hating this obscenely bright and sunny Monday morning was...Tori. The idea of seeing her goofball face made Jade feel...happy?

After she’d rolled out of bed, stumbled into the kitchen, and brewed her coffee, Jade finally checked her phone. She’d learned not to check it before coffee on these early school mornings after the time she threw her old PearPhone GX against the wall of her bedroom when she’d read a review of a new blu-ray release of _The Scissoring_ that referred to the film as, “an average slasher.”

Today, though, she was met with a text that triggered positive feelings.

**Busting out this old classic on an actual Monday**

**Already on my second cup, keep up**

**Do you ever worry that you drink too much coffee?**

**Never**

True to her brand, Jade stopped at the Jet Brew on the way to school, like she did every school day, and ordered her regular large black coffee with two sugars. While she was there she figured she might as well also order one of those terrible black and white mochas for Tori. You know, just because she was already there.

Tori was at her locker when Jade walked into the building, so Jade marched right up to her and held out the mocha. “Here.”

“Hey!” Tori grinned, then looked at what Jade was offering to her. “For me?”

“Yes, but if you don’t take it in three seconds, I’ll let go,” Jade threatened. “ _Three…_ ”

Tori quickly accepted the drink, then eyed it. “You didn’t find this in the trash, did you?”

“ _Tori_. You really think I’d bring you trash coffee?”

“You’ve done it before!”

“Well, I’ve changed. Slightly.”

Tori seemed satisfied and sipped the drink. “Aw, you got me the mocha.”

“I still think it’s disgusting but whatever.” Jade leaned against the locker next to Tori’s, sipped on her own coffee, and waited while she finished pulling out her books for the first part of the school day. As soon as Tori finished and shut the door, Jade grabbed the strap of Tori’s huge purse and pulled her over to her own locker.

“And, we’re going over here,” said Tori, though she seemed completely happy to watch Jade dig around in her locker for a notebook.

“Good morning, little ladies,” said Robbie as he approached.

“ _Never_ call me that,” warned Jade. She pulled the _Ghost Doll_ ticket stub out of her back pocket and slid it under one of the ribbons of her coffin-lining photo board inside the locker door. Whether or not Tori noticed, Jade wasn’t sure, because Robbie was chattering on about some documentary he’d watched about rocking horses.

The bell rang and most of the students, including Robbie, scattered toward their homerooms. She and Tori had different classes all morning, so they probably wouldn’t see each other until the first break or maybe even lunch. Jade shut her locker and let her hand catch Tori’s as she said, “Later,” squeezing their fingers together before eventually letting go as she walked away.

Jade felt her anxiety building as the day moved on, because she had no idea if her name would be drawn for the semester project. The masochistic part of her liked being tortured over it, but the anxious perfectionist side of her just wanted it to be decided so she could start planning. By lunch, she didn’t have much, if any, patience for anyone who even mildly annoyed her.

She and Cat were the first to the lunch table, sitting across from each other while Cat snapped a selfie for her Slap profile. Andre and Robbie joined them and, for some insane reason, Robbie thought to sit next to her.

Jade shook her head. “Nope. _Move_.”

“But no one’s--”

“ _MOVE!_ ”

Robbie whined and shifted to the next seat over. Just in time, too, because here came Tori with her hamburger and fries and a dipping cup of mayonnaise because she was a big weirdo. Before Tori even sat down, Jade picked up two of her fries.

“Tori, don’t sit there,” Robbie warned, likely assuming he was saving her from Jade’s wrath. Hilarious. When Jade said nothing and just ate the fries, Robbie shrugged, confused.

“Why wouldn’t I sit here?” asked Tori, settling next to Jade.

“I wouldn’t let him,” Jade admitted, stealing more fries.

“You know,” said Tori, watching her food disappear, “if you want french fries, they sell them at the Grub Truck.”

“They won’t be as good as these.”

Tori just smiled at her and pushed the fries closer, though she started eating them first so that Jade couldn’t finish all of them.

After lunch was Sikowitz’s class, and she and Tori stopped by their lockers and then walked in together. They did sometimes sit next to each other in his class, but today, Jade kind of wanted to ensure it would happen. So she grabbed Tori’s hand in the hall and led her to the seat adjacent Jade’s usual one. She sat forward, elbows on her knees, while Tori settled into her seat and watched Jade with a sympathetic smile.

“Nervous?”

“No,” Jade lied. Tori had already finished her semester project with the fateful play in which Trina had almost been injured by the old wire rigging equipment. Jade didn’t remember what kind of grade she’d actually ended up with, given the results, but she did remember telling Sikowitz just how many views Trina’s accident had on SplashFace, which had to count for something, right? So Tori, at least, didn’t have to worry about being chosen. She was lucky to have gotten it out of the way in the fall.

Tori, however, seemed to understand. “Hey, if you get chosen, at least it’ll be over in a week.”

Jade glared at her, and then Sikowitz came strolling into the room. She grabbed Tori’s hand and squeezed.

Sikowitz gave them all one of his sadistic grins, “Semester project time,” he sang. He was already carrying a cardboard box, and he held it over his head like a religious icon. Tori squeezed her hand encouragingly as Jade just stared at the box that held her fate, unable to think about anything else.

“Robbie!” Sikowitz thrust the box at him, “Pick a card!”

Robbie reached in and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Jade didn’t even have time to brace herself before he announced, “Beck!”

Jade sagged back in her chair, leaning toward Tori’s shoulder. Tori let go of her hand to pat Jade’s knee comfortingly, and Jade relaxed against her.

But it still could mean an interesting week. Any of them could end up being tapped to be a part of Beck’s project, including the students in the tech classes. She watched as Sikowitz grabbed two pieces of paper from his pockets, held them behind his back, and had Beck pick a hand. With a flourish, he handed Beck his chosen card.

“Film,” Beck read from the card, nodding thoughtfully.

“Aaaand genre!” Sikowitz announced, this time pulling out a big Grub Truck soda cup full of paper slips. He thrust it at Beck, who reached in and drew one.

“Comedy,” Beck read, brow furrowing.

“My cards have spoken!” Sikowitz announced, “This week is Beck’s semester project, so we will expect your comedic screenplay by tomorrow!”

“I will do that,” Beck said with a small grin, as calm under pressure as ever.

Beck, film, comedy. Jade actually thought it might be a nice challenge for him. Not that Beck lacked a sense of humor, but he was so much more drawn to dramatic acting, that comedy might be a little out of his comfort zone. Maybe he would surprise her.

For now, though, she leaned against Tori, content that at least it wasn’t her week to throw together a project. Not that putting it off until later in the semester was good.

After class, they stopped by Tori’s locker first. Jade leaned against the adjacent locker as Tori swapped out notebooks.

“I’m excited for Beck,” Tori was saying, “It’d be cool to be involved, but I also have so much homework to catch up on.”

“I can imagine,” Jade said dryly, “They only took me out of school for that one day and I still have a couple of things to do.”

“I’m getting there,” Tori sighed, “At least all the teachers are being really understanding about it.”

“Yeah, if they say anything, just direct them to the celebrity wall at Nozu,” Jade teased. She watched Tori for a moment, “So, how does it feel to be back, anyway?” Tori had seemed so normal all day, aside from the fact that they were sitting together and talking in the hallways much more, especially in contrast to the last week and a half.

“It actually feels really good,” Tori said brightly. “I mean, I haven’t heard anything from Mason and I don’t expect to, but even if they were contacting me...I want to finish high school, first. Not that I’d want to work with him again anyway,” she said quickly.

Jade was about to reply, something about how she’d be gone in a flash if she got offered a record deal right now, just to torture Tori, when Trina came skittering up, screaming, “TORI!”

Tori visibly stiffened, then rolled her eyes and turned around, “What, Trina?”

“I heard that it’s Beck’s semester project, do you know what he’s doing?!” Trina’s voice was so urgent, she sounded like the people on the 911 calls Jade occasionally listened to for inspiration.

“No, I don’t know, that’s kind of how this works,” Tori said, exasperated.

“Oh my god, do you think he’ll cast me?” Trina asked, pitch rising in panic and excitement, “I should go ask him, what’s his next class? BECK!?” And she clopped off in her big wedges in search of him.

Tori watched her go with a pained expression on her face. “Do you want to give me a ride home?” she asked, her voice forced casual.

“Ohh, yes,” Jade agreed.

After school, they met at Jade’s locker and headed out to her car together. Jade supposed it had been a pretty good day, but as she and Tori talked idly about the homework they had to work on in the evening, Jade knew that her day might be about to get better.

She pulled into Tori’s driveway, and turned to look at her. Tori was already unbuckling her seatbelt. It wasn’t like Jade was constantly making out in the halls at school when she was with Beck, since students were discouraged from doing that anyway, but the thought had crossed her mind several times that day that she wanted to kiss Tori between classes. But they had only just gone on their first date, and she wasn’t entirely sure what Tori’s comfort level was with that sort of thing. She’d only really ever seen her with one boyfriend, that guy who was cheating on her with that girl in Seattle with the webseries, and they’d been pretty chaste.

But now, chaste was out the window, and good riddance. Jade cupped Tori’s chin with both hands and brought her in for a kiss. Tori responded enthusiastically, and Jade felt fingers in her hair and a hand on her waist. Often, Jade found herself letting Tori take the lead when it came to these makeout sessions, mostly due to their experience gap, and times like this, it felt a lot like being swept up in a summer storm. Tori’s palm slid smooth over her breast, and they were pulled so close that Jade felt her hip bone digging into the center console as Tori ramped up the intensity of their kiss.

She could feel Tori shifting in her seat, and the kiss broke as Tori bumped her hip against the console. She slumped back in her seat, evidently trying to adjust the position of her legs, and bumped her elbow hard against the door. Tori growled and flailed her hands, “This stupid car!”

Jade raised an eyebrow, amused at Tori’s outburst, “Well, you can always walk home,” she smirked.

“No, no, not that,” Tori reached for her arm placatingly, “Just…” Another frustrated groan. “I just wish we had more time and space for this,” she gestured between them. “Like, at least we get more time in the driveway now, but I don’t even know if I can bring you inside, I never know who’s home anymore, and I just want to be able to kiss you without being interrupted.” She stared miserably at the center console of Jade’s car. “Or bruised.”

Jade could certainly sympathize with that. After finding out how intense and wonderful it had been to make out in Tori’s room, Jade had to admit that kissing in the car, as great as it was, lacked the freedom of movement and (relative) privacy they’d enjoyed.

Luckily, Jade had an idea. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, watching as Tori’s eyes were drawn to the sound and motion. “Well,” she drawled, “Why don’t we make a plan?”

Tori glanced up at her. “Okay,” she said slowly, “What did you have in mind?”

Jade turned more in her seat to face her. “Why don’t you come to my house Friday night? My mom will be out of town for work and my brother will be at my dad’s, so we’ll have the place to ourselves.”

Tori’s eyes brightened, and a sly smile started to spread, “Okay. Yeah. That sounds great,” she bit her lip.

Jade couldn’t tell if Tori was nervous or not, so she clarified quickly, “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. I just think it would be nice to have the time and privacy to...you know, whatever.”

“I know,” Tori said quickly, “I...yeah. I think that would be perfect.”

She leaned in for another kiss, and maybe because they finally had something to look forward to, this kiss was much less frenetic, its passion much more contained. It still left Jade breathless and desperately wound up, thinking of what it might be like to get Tori under her again, this time on her bed. But Tori finally went inside several minutes later, after a last lingering kiss, and Jade had to take a moment to collect her sanity before she drove home.

Tuesday, in Sikowitz’s class, Beck handed Sikowitz a copy of his finished script. “Excellent!” Sikowitz enthused, “Now, by the end of day, you’ll have to post your list of cast and crew.”

“Well, I’ve already cast it,” Beck announced. He stood up and handed a script to Cat, “Cat, you’ll be playing Snowy.”

“Yay! I love snow!” Cat took the script eagerly.

“Tori,” Beck approached where she was sitting next to Jade and passed her a script, “You’ll be playing Sandy.”

“Cool!” Tori enthused. She seemed more on board than she had the day before, but then, Jade knew she’d actually finished a lot of her make-up homework the night before.

“And Jade,” he turned to her, “You’ll be playing Tawny,” he told her with a grin.

“You’re damn right I am,” Jade snatched the script.

“Excellent,” Sikowitz was looking at the script, “So, have everything posted by end of day, and you’re on track for your semester project, Beck.”

“Thanks, Sikowitz,” he went back to his seat, and turned to address the three of them, “Take the evening to look it over, and we’ll rehearse tomorrow afternoon.”

Sikowitz began the lesson, but Jade mostly tuned him out. She was too eager to look at Beck’s script, especially since he'd cast her in a role named after her favorite character of all time. So while Tori glanced at her nervously, and, Jade assumed, paid attention for both of them, Jade began to discreetly read through Beck’s script in class. The screenplay was titled “The Blonde Squad.” Okay. She had a bad feeling about it, but she would see what Beck had done with it.

She was thoroughly disappointed.

Tawny was nothing like Tawny Walker-Black. In fact, she was a dumb blonde bimbo who managed to shoot herself with her own banana (and Jade hated bananas, he knew that). On the whole, Jade found the script kind of stupid. She was still on board to do the project--not that she had much of a choice--but she couldn’t help but think that Beck was taking the easy way out with it. She really hoped he’d impress her with something genuinely funny, but so far, he had not.

Wednesday came, and she was already in a bad mood before rehearsal, because she’d tried to talk to Beck about the script earlier in the day. It had not gone well. Jade tried to get him to understand that his short film portrayed women in a really negative light, that the humor was cheap and not subversive or interesting. Beck had defended his piece, basically saying it was a satirical look at girl power from the 70s, and Jade hadn’t been able to convince him that if he was aiming for satire, he’d missed the mark completely. He’d brushed her off, saying he couldn’t exactly change the script _now_ , and had walked away seeming completely unbothered by their conversation.

Rehearsal had been fine, though that was also when Jade found out what, exactly, she’d be wearing in this short film. A tight romper and a blonde wig. At least she didn’t need the blue contact lenses. Tori had seemed weirdly excited about the wig, but Jade was already feeling sour about the whole thing, and was dreading it.

To top it off, when she drove Tori home after rehearsal, their making out had gotten wild enough that Tori had somehow managed to knock over the cup of coffee grounds that was still in Jade’s cupholder. Though Jade wasn’t mad at her, it was certainly frustrating. When Tori went in the house, Jade tried to brush as many grounds off her outfit as she could, and slumped back in her seat, groaning.

She just really, really needed Friday to get here.

-

Tori loved playing a blonde. Especially once they had their wigs properly fitted by Robbie (the film’s wig-master).

“Come on, it’s fun!” she insisted, but Jade didn’t look impressed.

“It’s really not.”

They were waiting in the makeshift “green room,” which was really just Sikowitz’s classroom, for one of Beck’s production assistants to let them know when to come to set.

“Cat, you’ll back me up, right?” asked Tori.

“I look like someone else!” Cat giggled, watching her hair sway in the full-length mirror as she danced back and forth.

“Ugh, can we please just run the lines one more time?” Jade requested.

Tori and Cat refocused their attention to do another run through of the dialogue, but that only took a few minutes since it was a very short film. Cat was called to set for a wardrobe check, leaving Tori and Jade alone for a moment.

“You’re really not having fun?” Tori asked.

“It’s fine. This is supposed to be work, so it doesn’t always have to be thrills and chills.”

Tori gently poked at Jade, just enough to force some attention, “You know who was a fun blonde?”

Jade’s tone suggested to tread carefully. “ _Who_?”

“Nancy.”

“Nancy was a very different kind of woman. She wouldn’t be caught dead with these _Charlie’s Angels_ knock-offs.”

Jade’s mood continued through the shoot and didn’t let up when Tori suggested the three of them go to Nozu in their wigs, just for fun. Despite her very vocal protests, Jade did agree to come along, but only because Tori put in a convincing argument that they could wing-woman for Cat.

It turned out they weren’t really necessary when Cat was wearing her wig, though. Ten minutes after arriving at Nozu, Cat was at a table with a cute guy, chatting it up.

Jade had been watching carefully as he and Cat began chatting. “I don’t like that guy,” she said immediately.

“Why not?” Tori asked.

Jade rolled her eyes, “What kind of guy sits next to the bathroom and flags down women who need to wazz? Seems like a creeper to me.”

But neither of them did more than keep an eye on the situation as Cat joined him at his table. As long as she was in sight, not much could happen. Meanwhile, Tori was convinced she could prove to Jade that blondes have more fun. She...did not make her point, because the only guy who did approach her was one who wanted to borrow their soy sauce and, for some reason, their interaction ended with the guy’s dad yelling at her.

“Ouch,” said Jade, who kept pulling open edamame without eating them. To be fair, they were free.

“He didn’t have to be so mean.”

“Maaaaybe blondes don’t have as much fun as you seem to think they do.”

“Maybe it’s just the wrong environment.”

“Hey, you know what environment will be a blonde-free zone tomorrow night? My room.”

It was meant to be a jab, probably to get Tori to chill, but it made her stomach flip in anticipation. “Okay, I promise to leave Sandy behind after this.” Still, she felt like she still had a point to make. “You’re saying this does nothing for you?” Tori tossed her hair back and forth then batted her eyelashes at Jade.

“You’re so weird.” But Jade smiled, even if it was just the tiniest hint of one.

“Your hair color changes literally from week to week, sometimes.”

“Yeah, because I let a _professional_ stylist work on my _actual_ hair.” There was a lull between them, with Jade still picking at her edamame and Tori eating hers. “You think they’ll still give us free dessert?”

“Can’t know unless we ask.”

The next day, Jade’s weird mood continued. Tori knew it didn’t have anything to do with her (or, she was pretty sure, because their texting had maintained the same energy and they were both excited about their Friday night plans), but it still bled into their interactions. In the halls, Jade was curt with just about everyone and while she was nicer to Tori, it was only fractionally different.

Not that Tori wasn’t busy dealing with her own bizarre morning. Cat, it turned out, had a wonderful night with Evan, the restroom creeper, but she hadn’t revealed that her blonde hair and blue eyes were fake. To top it all off, Trina had apparently been using Tori’s clean underwear as a handkerchief and everyone kept commenting about how big they were, including Cat, who grabbed them out of nowhere when she started crying.

They were _not_ big. They were plain old regular sized underwear.

At the lunch table, Tori sat with Cat on one side with Robbie across from them, trying to convince Cat that Evan would still like her when she told him about her real hair and eyes. Jade joined them, letting her PearBook clatter on the table as she aggressively sat down between Tori and Robbie.

“Hello,” Tori said, trying to read Jade’s current state.

“What do you want?” Jade shot back.

“You’re the one who sat down here.”

“Yeah, lucky you.”

Okay, they were going to have to talk about this later. She could handle Jade’s mood swings and she could even take a bit of ribbing here and there because it was part of what made their dynamic interesting, but there had to be limits.

For the time being, they looked up this Evan guy, and to Jade’s sinister delight, he did love blondes with blue eyes. Robbie had already left in the middle of the conversation, angry that Cat would even question being attractive without her wig.

When Cat began crying again, she asked Tori, “Oh no! Can I have your underwear again?”

Tori could tell by the look on Jade’s face that she had a lot of questions. So when Cat ran off to the bathroom, with Tori’s underwear, Tori attempted to explain, “It’s been a long morning. And they’re regular sized.”

Jade took in the information. “The size was _not_ what I was concerned about.”

They had a minute to themselves, so Tori took the opportunity to check in. “Hey, are we still on for tonight?”

“Yeah, of course.” Jade closed her laptop and focused on Tori. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“You’ve just been...kind of mean today.”

“That’s kind of my brand.”

“Well,” Tori began, “it makes it hard to know if…” Jade was listening, at least. “If you’re mad at me.”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“I don’t know. You came over and asked what _I_ wanted when _you_ sat down here.”

Jade was quiet a moment. “I’m not mad at you,” she repeated. “If I were, I’d send a text that said ‘Tori, I’m mad at you’ and I definitely wouldn’t be sitting with you.” The first part sounded way too simple for the way Jade operated, but the second part made sense. Jade did tend to avoid the people she was angry with unless she was seeking physical revenge.

“I don’t want you to change,” Tori reassured her. “But maybe we can set some limits?”

“Like?”

“I don’t mind the teasing. Sometimes it’s funny. But I don’t like when you’re cruel.”

Jade evaluated the offer. “Fine. But I still get to laugh if something funny happens to you.”

“Only if I’m not actually injured,” Tori countered. She hoped that this particular version of Jade, the one who made out with her regularly and held her hand in class when she was nervous, wouldn’t want to laugh at Tori’s pain. Otherwise, this might be over already.

“Of course I’m not going to laugh if you’re hurt.” Jade paused. “Really, honestly, not something I would have said a year ago.”

“Glad to know we’ve made progress,” Tori said, flatly.

“Hey,” Jade reached for Tori’s hand on the table. “I’ll work on not directing my weird chiz at you. Honestly, I’m irritated with Beck about this movie. But also...I’m really, really looking forward to tonight. And that’s been making this week feel like it’s lasted twice as long.”

“Ohhh,” Tori got it. She nodded, while Jade rolled her eyes but smiled. “It...has felt like a long week,” she agreed.

“Yeah. But seriously,” Jade changed the subject, “Why does Cat have your big underwear?”

“They’re _not_ big!”

-

That evening, Jade picked up Tori and they drove to the screening together. Tori had changed into some kind of strange peasant top with too much pink in it, but Jade supposed she wore it well.

Tori got into the car and leaned over to kiss Jade in greeting. “Hi, uh, oh…” she pulled away and her eyes fell to Jade’s cleavage. She leaned back into her own seat and swallowed audibly. “You look nice,” she said, her voice strained.

“Thanks,” Jade smirked. She, too, had changed for the screening, and it seemed it had the desired effect.

They made it to the school theater, only to find that Cat was wearing her wig for her date with Evan. Jade watched, amused, as Tori yelled at Robbie for putting it back on her head, and watched Cat as she flirted with the bathroom creeper. She still didn’t like that guy.

Tori came back from talking to Robbie, fuming, and as they were going to take their seats together, Andre approached her.

“Tori!” he grabbed her arm, “You’ve got to help me look for Larry.” Beck had borrowed Andre’s grandmother’s bird for the movie, and he’d escaped the day before and had haunted the school since.

“Oh, um,” Tori glanced at Jade. “We were going to--”

“We have to sit in the back, over here, so we’ll see him anywhere in the room,” Andre directed Tori to the rear corner of the seating.

“I like to sit in the middle for screenings,” Jade told Tori, but she let her fingers run down Tori’s arm as she walked away to take her seat next to Robbie.

The movie was fine. She supposed there were some things about it that were better than she expected. It _was_ funny, even if it was pretty basic humor. While she still insisted Tori looked ridiculous in her wig, her portrayal as Sandy was entertaining. But even Jade’s mild enjoyment of the film was interrupted when Andre shouted to stop the film because the bird he’d been chasing landed on Cat’s blonde wig and all hell broke loose. To make matters worse, the movie was paused on the most unflattering angle of her character’s dead body with half her butt hanging out of that stupid hot-pants romper.

When everything settled, they finished the screening and it wasn’t a total disaster. Which...she supposed she was happy for Beck. It wasn’t his best work, but at least it appealed to the masses (or the fifty people who attended) and that meant something if you were trying to create art for public consumption. Anyway, whatever, she didn’t really have to think anymore about it because she had other plans.

She and Tori were in the car, on the way to Jade’s house. Tori was recapping her experience with Cat and Evan, something that hadn’t gone well because, apparently, he was a wazz-bag who only dated blonde girls.

“Cat says she forgives me, but she also wants me to have a terrible weekend,” bemoaned Tori.

“I can ignore you tomorrow, if you feel like that’ll help,” Jade offered. “Oh, or I can send you creepy gifs _all_ weekend.”

“I might deserve it,” Tori admitted.

Jade needed both hands on the wheel, especially cutting through the hills, but every chance she had at a stoplight or stop sign, their fingers would slide together or Tori would stroke designs over Jade’s tattoo. While the people allowed to touch her made up a very short list, Jade was a sucker for touch from the right person. She liked the validation of it, the tactile reminder that someone cared about her.

When they pulled into Jade’s driveway, it was automatic the way Tori unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to Jade as soon as the car was in park. Jade welcomed her kiss, welcomed the touch of her hands sliding into her hair and settling on her hip, but before they really got into it, Jade pulled away, “We can go inside, you know.”

“Oh yeah,” Tori mumbled with a shy grin.

Jade took her hand as they walked toward the door, letting go only to unlock it and open it for Tori. Tori looked around the dimly lit house. When Jade was home alone, she usually left a few lights on to give the illusion of more people being home.

“It’s still weird to me that your living room looks like this,” Tori commented.

“Yeah, my mom’s taste is very different from mine,” Jade looked around at the living room furniture, “We don’t agree on much of anything.” Most of the furniture in her house was antique, Victorian-style, collected from her grandmother’s house when she moved to a retirement community. Jade had taken some of the more interesting pieces for her own bedroom, and had improved the ones that needed to be reupholstered to suit her style, but the stuff in the living room and dining room was more classic and, in her opinion, more gaudy. The contrast was great enough that she often forgot the furniture came from the same place.

“It certainly wasn’t what I expected your house to look like the first time I was here.”

Jade shrugged, leading her to the kitchen. “You want some water?”

“Sure.”

Jade pulled out two bottles of Crystal Waters from the fridge and the two of them headed down to Jade’s bedroom together.

The first thing Jade did was take off her jacket and then sit at her desk chair and start unlacing her boots, her usual ritual when coming home. Tori watched her curiously. “Should I take off my shoes?” she asked.

“If you want to be on my bed, you should.”

Tori nodded emphatically, sitting at the foot of Jade’s bed and pulling off her own heeled boots. She placed them carefully in the corner of Jade’s room, near her closet.

Jade joined her on the bed a moment later, the two of them sitting casually, leaning on one arm and facing each other. Tori struck a silly, coquettish pose, “Sooo,” she started, “What should--”

Jade moved in for a kiss, hand settling on Tori’s jaw. There was a muffled sound of surprise against her lips, and then a contented one as Tori relaxed into the kiss.

In spite of the fact that Jade had been looking forward to this all week, and she knew Tori was, too, the kiss didn’t turn wild right away. But Jade liked that, she liked how it felt to kiss Tori slowly. They were alone together in Jade’s room, and they had all the time they could possibly want. There was no reason to rush; they could go at their own pace, and Jade was eager to savor every second of it.

Jade felt Tori’s hand on her shoulder, and Jade slipped her own down around Tori’s waist. They moved a little closer, still letting the pace build gradually. Jade felt Tori’s tongue against her own, and she melted into her with a little whimper in her throat, but everything was unhurried, affectionate. Tori’s hand was moving down too, gently tracing over the curves of Jade’s breast, so unhurried and gentle that it felt powerfully sensual, and Jade moaned softly against Tori’s lips, the hand on her hip urging her closer.

Tori’s hand moved up to Jade’s neck, cradling her head to the side as Tori trailed slow kisses down her throat. Jade swallowed thickly, letting her head fall back against Tori’s hand, and murmured, “Don’t leave any too high up.”

The kisses paused just above her collarbone, “Any what?” Tori asked uncertainly.

“Any hickeys.”

Tori’s mouth still wasn’t moving. “I don’t...I don’t think I’ve ever left any hickeys on anyone,” she confessed, uncertainly, “I don’t think I even know _how_.”

“You’ve never had a hickey either?” Jade confirmed.

“Nope.”

“Do you want one?”

A gentle kiss against her throat preceded her answer. “Sure.”

In response, Jade twisted, bringing Tori onto her back on the bed. Tori’s eyes went wide and eager at the action, and she settled back against Jade’s pillows, gazing up at her with a little half-smile. Jade started tugging at the straps of the tank top underneath her peasant top, pulling them down her arms to expose all the skin of her shoulders and collarbones and the top of her chest, just above her breasts. “What even is this top, anyway?” Jade asked, plucking at the loose, flowy fabric over Tori’s breasts.

“I don’t know, I thought it was cute,” Tori said, brows furrowing as she looked up at Jade.

“It’s completely ridiculous,” Jade told her, “But it looks good on you,” she decided.

Tori’s expression softened into a smile, and Jade kissed her lips, lingering there only for a few moments before kissing her way down Tori’s neck, listening to the breathy exhales it drew out of her. When Jade reached her collarbone, she carefully brought the soft flesh between her lips and sucked at it.

“Oh, _oh_ ,” Tori stuttered, hand finding the back of Jade’s head. Jade paused, then continued, drawing soft sounds out of Tori as she kissed and sucked at the spot, even grazing her teeth over it gently, just to see how Tori would react (a particularly delicious whimper). She brought one of her hands up to caress Tori’s breast through her ridiculous shirt as her mouth worked, watching and feeling for how everything began to make Tori squirm slightly.

When she pulled away long moments later, hand still cupping Tori’s breast, a little wine-colored bruise was forming. “There,” Jade said triumphantly.

Tori twisted her head to look down at it, “Wow,” she said, “There it is.”

“Well?” Jade asked, “What do you think?”

“I think,” Tori started, sitting up and pushing lightly against Jade’s chest, “It’s my turn.”

Jade smirked as she let herself be borne onto her back. Tori hovered over her, looking smug, her eyes flicking over Jade’s face, until they were drawn down to her cleavage, and her face went a little slack.

“Oh...kay…” Tori trailed off, her hand moving to curve over a breast, her expression almost reverent. Jade licked her lips, holding back laughter, but then took a breath as Tori's hand began to move gently, the sensation of her hand spreading over her body like a warm blanket. Tori was thoroughly distracted for a long moment, but then blinked and refocused on Jade. “Right,” she mumbled, “Hickeys.”

“If you still want to,” Jade said, a bit breathlessly.

“I want to,” Tori replied in almost a whisper. Her mouth kissed along Jade’s exposed shoulder, hand never leaving her breast, and at the apex of neck and shoulder, Jade felt her mouth working, lips and tongue running over the flesh, sucking lightly. Jade sighed, tipping her head to the side, arm wrapping around Tori’s body to run fingers over her back.

Tori pulled away, looking triumphant, but then her face fell. “It didn’t work.”

“Suck harder next time,” Jade advised, smirking.

Tori narrowed her eyes, lowering her head to kiss all over Jade’s upper chest again, lips a hair's breadth away from the swell of her breast. Jade bit her lip eagerly, letting Tori attempt to place several hickeys in the area, and even with Jade coaxing her to do it harder, it wasn’t working.

“What--but,” Tori sputtered, gesturing at Jade’s chest, “ _How_ is it not working, you’re--you’re like a ghost!”

“I don’t know,” Jade teased, “Usually I bruise like a peach, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.” Tori huffed in frustration. The fierce energy brewing in her was pretty exciting, but Jade figured she should also reassure her. “Hey,” she said tenderly, “You don’t have to be good at _everything_.”

It didn’t help. Tori’s expression turned absolutely feral, and her mouth was back on Jade’s chest. Jade let out a little incredulous laugh as she felt Tori’s lips attack her flesh, hand finding her hair. Tori’s mouth was moving lower, gradually, as she sucked at various patches of skin, even introducing some light teeth, now, which made tingles jolt through Jade’s belly. Her mouth was moving over the exposed tops of Jade’s breasts, eager sounds in her throat, making Jade’s face feel hot and her breath come faster. She tightened her hand in Tori’s hair, unsure if it was a warning or encouragement, but she could only let it go so long before she needed to be kissing Tori again.

She grabbed Tori by her shoulders and coaxed her up, kissing her and then turning to flip them, eager mouth meeting Tori’s as their kissing intensified.

-

Tori felt her stomach flip when she did, as Jade settled on top of her, the weight of her upper body pressed against Tori’s own, breasts soft against her. She wrapped her arms around Jade, fingers running over her back and threading through her hair as they kissed. They had started slow, tender, letting themselves remember just why they’d started doing this in the first place, and though Tori was happy to bask in the gradually escalating pleasure of it, she was also eager to feel the way she did right now, like she was chasing something fast and fleeting, a ferocious energy that bloomed in her belly.

She loved the way it felt to have Jade on top of her, and she could still run a hand over the side of Jade’s breast. One of Jade’s arms was wrapped around Tori, trapped beneath her shoulder blades, the other running over Tori’s side, like fingers of flame awakening her flesh under her top. Tori let her hands drift to Jade’s back, loving the way her flesh felt beneath her fingers, trailing over the muscles of her lower back.

Jade’s shirt was beginning to come untucked, which Tori discovered as her fingers trailed lower and found skin. She ran her fingers cautiously over the exposed lower back, dipping beneath the hem of Jade’s shirt to flatten her palm over skin when Jade made an encouraging sound in her throat. She let her fingers linger there, awed by how smooth the skin was, and felt Jade’s fingers plucking at the hem of her shirt, at her side.

Jade lifted her head just enough to pant, “Seriously, _why_ this shirt?” as her fingers tugged at it.

“I told you,” Tori said breathlessly, “I like…” her voice died as Jade’s hand successfully dipped beneath the bottom hem of her shirt, and Tori felt fingers stroking just above her hip bone, running over to her side. She didn’t understand how it could possibly feel so good for Jade to be touching her somewhere that wasn’t even that sexy, but it did, and she reconnected their mouths frantically, kissing harder, feeling Jade’s tongue and unable to stop thinking about her fingers on her skin.

Tori started pushing against her, finally coaxing Jade onto her side, and felt Jade’s hand slide around under her shirt to settle against her lower back, which was intensely satisfying. She pushed closer, drawing her hand out from the back of Jade’s shirt to palm her breasts through her top, trying to elicit those little moans that Jade always seemed to be trying to keep quiet, wanting desperately to hear her.

She glanced between their bodies, at her hand on Jade’s breasts, and then noticed a small mark at the top of one of them. “Hey!” she breathed excitedly, “I did it!”

Jade glanced down toward the hickey, “Congrats,” she managed, then pulled Tori back in for a kiss, and Tori let her hand roam over Jade’s breasts, eager and reverent.

And before too long, she was guiding Jade onto her back, reveling in having full access to both breasts with her hands. Jade pulled Tori closer, arms around her body, one hand at the back of Tori’s neck to bring her in for a kiss. Tori shifted, wanting to feel Jade’s torso against her, and straddled one of Jade’s legs to bring them more closely in alignment. She was on her knees, lowering herself to settle her body against Jade’s, her legs angling her hips forward.

Abruptly, Jade pulled away, “Wait a second,” she said breathlessly, hand on Tori’s collarbone.

Tori stopped, “What is it?” she asked, her head flooded with passion, blood roaring in her ears.

“I just,” Jade seemed to be groping for words, “need you to be careful of where...you’re going.”

“What do you mean?” Tori asked, confused.

In answer, Jade’s thigh lifted slightly, making contact between Tori’s legs before falling away. Tori let out a full-throated moan that turned into desperate, embarrassed laughter, her eyes rolling back in her head before she let her forehead fall against Jade’s shoulder, “Ohhhh my god,” she got out, waiting for the jolts of pleasure running through her body to subside.

“Yeah,” Jade said breathlessly. Tori became aware that her own thigh was just barely pressed between Jade’s legs, her skirt having evidently rode up when Tori had pushed her on her back and straddled her.

She rolled off of Jade, covering her eyes, her body still pounding with need but her mind spiraling in humiliation. She felt Jade shift onto her side next to her, felt her hand settle onto Tori’s stomach. “Are you…” Jade started, sounding worried.

Tori wasn’t sure _what_ she was, “I just,” she started, voice tight with frustration and misery, sorting out her emotions as she spoke, “I just wish that I could just...stop being a virgin, so like...so that I didn’t have to hold us back anymore,” she whined.

“What makes you think you’re holding us back?” Jade sounded concerned.

“I mean, like, if I weren’t…” she groped for some kind of word to describe the inexperienced nerd she was, the type who almost accidentally started grinding on someone, and came up empty. “If I knew what I was doing, maybe we wouldn’t have to...stop.”

Jade was quiet for just a moment, and then said, “Just because I have more experience than you doesn’t mean I’m...ready.”

Tori lifted her arm from her eyes slightly to look at her. Jade looked flushed and eager but her eyes were focused on Tori, very soft. “You mean…? But you’ve...”

“I’ve been with _one_ other person,” Jade reminded her patiently, “And I’m learning that... _everything_ is new with someone else. Especially because, you know,” she gestured between their bodies. “This is new for me, too, and you’re not the only one who needs to take things slow.”

Honestly, Tori hadn’t even considered that. She’d assumed that Jade had some kind of endgame in mind, one she was ultimately on board with, in theory. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized they’d never actually talked about what they wanted out of this. “I guess I just assumed you wanted us to be, like, in the same place.”

-

“Well, we are. Because I’d definitely never felt-up a girl until very recently.” Jade propped her head on her hand, watching Tori from the side. “I’d never furiously made out with another girl in her driveway or had said girl’s dad give me an ultimatum on when she had to be home after a date.” Her fingers drew lightly back and forth over the ridiculously bunchy fabric of Tori’s shirt, over her stomach. “You’re my first in all this as much as I’m yours.” She wasn’t always so open and clear about her feelings, not in this way, but they were safely hidden away in her bedroom and she felt like she could be vulnerable in the moment. Tori seemed to bring that out in her.

“I really like what we’ve been doing and I’m curious about what we _could be_ doing,” Tori still seemed shy about this discussion. “But I also…”

“You want things to mean something?” Jade suggested. Tori nodded. “Yeah, so do I.” She knew she had a certain image of the bad girl with the great boobs who liked pain (both giving and receiving), which led people to believe she was some kind of nymphomaniac or something. But really, she’d only ever had one sexual partner and, even then, they kept things pretty basic. “I don’t really want it out in the world that I’m a big sentimental softie--”

“Pretty sure I’m already onto you with that one,” said Tori, finally turning onto her side to actually face Jade.

“--but if we get to that point,” it seemed absurd to even frame it as an ‘if' but she was also trying to avoid idealism as it didn’t suit her, “it should mean that we're...like...serious. About each other.”

“I like what we’ve been doing,” repeated Tori. “And I like that we’re...going out. And being here…like this.”

“So do I.” Jade really did like it. A lot. “So let’s keep doing _this_. And we can figure the rest out later.”

Tori was so different from Beck. She was passionate and weird and got almost adorably aggressive about the strangest things. Dating Beck had felt like she was traveling a beaten path, one where she was the mean girl dating the nice guy, like some kind of teen movie where, if she was honest enough about things, he either dumped her or she learned some stupid lesson. Or both. And something in the back of Jade’s mind had always whispered to her that she wasn’t going to be happy with either outcome. Well, the former _had_ happened, it hadn’t been the end of the world, and now here she was. Dating Tori felt like an adventure, something uncertain but exciting, where Tori not only saw through Jade’s usual avoidance tactics, but called her on them, or at least was willing to push back just enough to find a resolution. It wasn’t perfect, Tori could be just as irrational as Jade, freaking out about things that maybe didn’t require such an intense reaction. Jade was still moody, grumpy, unhappy about a lot of things. But Tori...Tori made her laugh and sent her memes and, most of all, listened when Jade actually, genuinely was ready to talk.

It felt like there was ground to cover together.

For now, though, maybe they could just stay put for the rest of the evening.

“Come on,” Jade said, urging Tori up.

“Oh. Are you taking me home?”

“No, dingus. We’re going to the living room to watch a movie. If you’re dating me, you have a lot to learn.”

“It’s going to be something scary, isn’t it?”

Jade scanned her shelf and her gaze settled on _Slumber Party Massacre_. “Not _that_ scary.” She glanced back at Tori, who looked a little concerned. “I promise. It’s an 80s movie. And it’s mostly ridiculous.” Jade slipped over to the shelf to pull the BluRay from its place in the lineup.

Tori still seemed uncertain. “Yeah, you said something like that about _Ghost Doll_.”

“I can one-hundred percent assure you that there are no haunted dolls of any kind in this movie. Just a serial killer.”

“This is a weird way to convince me.” But Tori rose from the bed to meet her where she stood. She slid her arms around Jade’s waist. “But, I guess I’m in.” Tori pressed a kiss to Jade’s lips that went on long enough for Jade to suspect it might be a diversion tactic.

“We can keep doing this on the couch,” Jade finally mumbled.

“Yeah, right. You’ll get mad that I’m not actually watching the screen.”

“Well, at least give it till the first kill and then see how you feel.”

-

The movie wasn’t _that_ scary. It was bloody and cheesy and kind of fun. She didn’t have to hide her face against Jade’s shoulder nearly as much as during _Ghost Doll_ , though that didn’t stop her from doing it anyway so she could kiss Jade’s neck and attempt to pull her attention away from the movie. It only ever worked for a few seconds and then Jade would insist the next thing to happen on screen was so important when usually it was another person being mangled to death.

But Tori liked how passionate Jade was about movies. Here was Jade West, the girl who screamed people out of her way in the halls at school, wanting to point out details and facts about storylines and characters. After about the fiftieth random piece of information Jade offered up, Tori paused the movie and stared at her in the light of the flatscreen.

Jade’s brow furrowed. “What’s up?”

“I’m trying to kiss you and you’re telling me that this movie was written by a famous feminist.”

“Yeah, Rita Mae Brown. A famous queer feminist. _So_?”

“You’re like...a big nerd.”

Jade’s eyes grew big, though there was mirth behind them. “You take that back.”

“Nope,” Tori shook her head.

“Take it back!” Jade repeated, lunging for her and pinning her down on the couch.

The warm weight of Jade’s body on hers certainly wasn’t a deterrent. “Or what?”

“Or I’ll,” Jade’s eyebrow raised in consideration. Suddenly, her hands were on Tori’s sides, tickling her.

Tori screamed and twisted underneath Jade, laughing so hard she thought she might puke until, finally, she said, “ _OKAY!_ Okay…”

Jade’s movements stopped, but Tori grabbed her hands, just in case. “Now, what were you saying about me?”

“I was just saying that...I can’t wait to see how this movie ends.”

“Now you’re talking sense.” Jade nudged Tori toward the edge of the couch cushions so she could lie down behind her, Jade’s chin on Tori’s shoulder with one strong arm wrapped around her.

This movie, despite the campiness and, apparently, feminist screenplay, would probably give her nightmares. But, when Jade pressed a kiss to Tori’s ear before hitting PLAY on the remote, Tori knew whatever weird dreams it inspired would be totally worth it.

-

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Your Love is My Drug_ by Kesha. 
> 
> This chapter take place during the events of: 
> 
> The Blonde Squad (3.12)
> 
>   
> 
> 
> **Yes, we’ve reached the end of Part One. Which means, there’s a Part Two, coming soon.**
> 
> A few things about the second part:
> 
> \- It covers season four
> 
> \- It’s even longer than the first part
> 
> \- It’s _kind of_ canon compliant, but we had to take some very obvious liberties
> 
> \- Even with those liberties taken, we still do our best to touch on every episode
> 
> \- This part will be rated M because it’s about these two nerds figuring out their sex life
> 
> \- It also includes:
> 
> \-- Even more interrupted personal time
> 
> \-- The over-supportive Vega parents
> 
> \-- Jade’s discovery that the Vegas have a jacuzzi
> 
> \-- What it means to be Slap Official
> 
> \-- Salsa dancing
> 
> \-- An introduction to Jade’s mom, Tiffany
> 
> \-- Patrice Kline: Sex Educator 
> 
> \-- Tori maybe sort of accidentally getting caught looking at porn
> 
> \-- And also discovering that _The Scissoring_ isn’t just a horror movie
> 
> \-- Really sappy intense feelings
> 
> \-- Trina
> 
> \-- AND MORE
> 
>   
>    
>  Big thanks and much love to everyone who has read this and commented and been along for this ride. There's so much more ahead and we hope you love this journey as much as we do. <3

**Author's Note:**

> **And now a selection from Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can’t Drive (But Not For Long)**
> 
> “What’s up with you?” Jade asked, after placing their order at the speaker.
> 
> Tori shook herself from her light daze. “Sorry, I just...had a weird dream last night.”
> 
> “A nightmare?” Jade asked, sounding a little too hopeful. “Tell me everything.”
> 
> “It wasn’t...totally a nightmare. It started out like one but then it…uh, was...personal.” Tori felt her cheeks warming and it was apparently obviously because Jade cocked her head and that eyebrow lifted.
> 
> “Tori, did you have a _sex dream_?”
> 
> “I mean, maybe? It never quite got to that point but you were--”
> 
> “Wait,” Jade was elated. “It was about me?”
> 
> “Oh my god.” Tori covered her face and Jade had to at least direct her attention to moving the car forward in the drive-thru line. “Yes, okay?”
> 
> Jade’s eyes were bright in fascination. “What were we doing?”
> 
> “Um, well, we were kissing at my locker but then you were also there in the Tawny wig and then there were other Jades all around.”
> 
> “It was a _group sex_ dream? Tori, this is some kinky chiz. Oh my god, were any of me, like, doing it with myself?”
> 
> “No one was having sex! Not even Nancy and Walter, though he did say I had to fall asleep during…” Jade watched her muddle through the awkward recap, an amused expression on her face, and Tori just wanted to get to the end. “We were making out pretty hardcore but then my underwear was too big and suddenly I was naked and then you pulled me through the lockers into your car and I woke up--” She stopped, realizing the final element of this retelling wasn’t part of the dream.
> 
> “You woke up…” Jade prompted. 
> 
> “And...I…” Tori knew her ears were bright pink because she could feel them burning.
> 
> It was their turn at the window, so she had a light reprieve while Jade paid for the drinks, passing Tori both beverages so she could place them in the cupholders. For some reason, the fact that Jade wasn’t pressing her at the moment made Tori feel like she had to just come out and say it.
> 
> “I touched myself, okay!” she blurted out.
> 
> It was a good thing they were still trying to exit the drive-thru and the worst that happened was that Jade drove into the curb. “ _Tori_!” Jade steered the car into an open parking space and put the car in park. “You did _not_ just shout that in the Jet Brew drive-thru.” She was laughing, but she also reached for Tori’s hand. 
> 
> “Well, I did.” Tori wasn’t even sure if she was referring to the shouting or the touching, but the feeling of Jade’s hand around hers at least helped her feel grounded. And, okay, it was funny.
> 
> “It’s not that big of a surprise,” said Jade. “Other than your timing.”
> 
> They hadn’t really talked about masturbation, it wasn’t something either of them were likely to bring up. Jade was direct, but she also kept deeply personal stuff to herself, for the most part. At least in Tori’s experience. But there had been nights when they’d spent extended periods of time kissing and touching, sometimes at Jade’s, sometimes at Tori’s (when her family left her alone), sometimes in the car, when it felt like there was room for escalation. But they’d agreed to keep things above the belt, under the shirt, over the bra...maybe not mapped out as clearly and succinctly, but they were definitely working with a set of established boundaries. But that didn’t mean they weren’t feeling the want of more.
> 
> Tori kept her eyes focused out the front window. “You do it too, right?” Like, she was pretty sure, but then what if this wasn’t something people did as much as she thought they did? When they talked about this stuff in her sex-ed class at Sherwood, they made it all seem like a regular part of everything, but no one around her ever _talked_ about it. Maybe some people talked about this stuff with their siblings, but this was a topic she would never in her life discuss with Trina.
> 
> Jade almost choked on her coffee. “What?” she sputtered, finding a napkin. “I mean, yeah. Of course. Not, like, _all_ the time. I’m not a maniac. But sometimes.”
> 
> “I’ve tried before and just never...I didn’t get much out of it. But this time…” This was so not the conversation she thought she’d be having on the way to school. This was what it was like being around Jade, though. Things came up that she wouldn’t necessarily do or try or say with someone else, but Jade made it feel natural.
> 
> “This time what?” But even as Jade asked the question, she seemed to pick up on what Tori meant.
> 
> “I…” Tori struggled for more to say about this, but even though she felt secure and safe talking about this kind of stuff with Jade, it was kind of a lot. Jade’s lips met the back of her hand, offering a kiss that suggested they could talk about it later.


End file.
